Finian's Oscar upholds family honour in Aintree curtain-raiser

Finian's Oscar bounced back to his brilliant best to land the Grade 1 Big Buck's Celebration Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree on Thursday.

In doing so he recorded back-to-back wins at the Grand National meeting, having won the Betway Mersey Novices' Hurdle 12 months earlier - and the six-year-old son of Oscar is not the first horse from his family to achieve the feat of consecutive wins at this meeting either.

His dam, the winning pointer Trinity Alley, is a half-sister to top-class two mile chaser Finian's Rainbow, who landed the Maghull Novices' Chase in 2011 before following up in the Melling Chase 12 months on. The son of Tiraaz also won the 2012 Queen Mother Champion Chase.

View the replay of Finian's Oscar's Grade 1 success

Finian's Oscar was bought for his late owners Ann and Alan Potts by agent Tom Malone and trainer Colin Tizzard for £250,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham November Sale back in 2016 following a facile success in a Portrush maiden point.

He had already been through the ring twice prior to being picked up by Malone and Tizzard, with Richard Frisby parting with €24,000 for the son of Oscar as a foal before Tower View Stables stumped up €50,000 to secure him as a store.

Finian's Oscar was bred by Richard and Martin O'Keeffe, who also bred his once-raced Presenting half-brother School Boy Hours. He also has a three-year-old half-sister by Jeremy and yearling half-sister by Sageburg, while Trinity Alley was covered by Soldier Of Fortune in 2017.

His sire, Prix du Jockey Club runner-up Oscar, ranks as one of the most prolific National Hunt stallions of the recent era, having supplied Grade 1 talents such as Big Zeb, Rock On Ruby, Peddlers Cross, Our Duke and Black Jack Ketchum during his long and distinguished stud career.

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