Barton Snow storms to famous Cheltenham-Aintree double

Barton Snow completed the Cheltenham-Aintree double when strolling to a remarkably easy success in the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase.

Joe O’Shea’s nine-year-old is unbeaten in hunter chases and struck at the Cheltenham Festival last month when ridden by Henry Crow.

The same jockey did the steering at Aintree as his mount went off the 7-4 favourite, and a follow-up triumph came with the minimum of fuss as he cantered home on the bridle to prevail by seven lengths.

O’Shea said: “I don’t know how good this horse is, no one does yet. He does this every day at home.

“If NASA had phoned me I could have got them there in nine days instead of 10! He’s amazing. Henry said he was only in third gear.

“We realised he was very good when he won at Stratford last year, beating a good horse of Paul Nicholls’ in Viroflay. The camera was on him and clocked him going 37.2mph at the last hard held.

“When I heard how fast Constitution Hill was going the other day, this horse can keep it up at that pace. We just don’t know how good he is.”

Recent health issues had made O’Shea announce at Cheltenham that he was soon to quit and he added: “The surgeon said I’ve got to walk away or die, I’ve had a quadruple heart bypass and the stress puts me under too much pressure.

“We’ve got one even better at home, by the same sire Snow Sky, he’s called Boley Bob, he’s won four and is going to Hexham in two weeks where he’ll win.

“If I do decide to stay it’s not because of Barton Snow, it’s because of Boley Bob.”

As for the future for Barton Snow, O’Shea said: “It’s hard enough beating the Irish here never mind over there so I don’t know about Punchestown, but the Horse & Hound Cup (at Stratford) is too far for him, so if it was good ground at Punchestown the prize-money could be tempting.”

An error at the last from Highland’s Legacy cleared the way for Fergal O’Brien’s Ryan’s Rocket to blast his way to success in the Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase at odds of 14-1.

O’Brien said: “I’m delighted as the horse can make a few mistakes. You saw there today he paddled through the first ditch and at Kempton earlier in the year he made a very bad mistake down the back.

“He just likes going forward, when you try to hold him up it doesn’t work, but Johnny (Burke) gave him a great ride today and it all worked out.”

The concluding Goffs Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race went the way of Dan Skelton’s stable debutant, the 9-2 chance Nan’s Choice, who held off the late challenge of Lennon Grove for a length-and-a-quarter victory.

Skelton said: “It was her first run for us and we didn’t know a lot about her to be honest.

“Funnily enough the guy who used to train her (Conor Houlihan) introduced himself to me walking out onto the track and I asked him what did he think. I’ve not actually done a lot with her.

“She’s quite a light-framed mare and we thought she’d like some nicer ground being by Getaway and what a lovely mare she could be. She hit the front and ran around all over the shop but I’m not overly surprised.”