Relief for Simon Munir and Paul Townend as Impaire Et Passe survives stewards' inquiry after thrilling three-way photo-finish

Anything good is worth waiting for. Which was just as well because we were kept waiting for five times as long as it took to run the race.

Simon Munir and Isaac Souede have had many a winner, but never has the double-green team had to sweat this much.

First there was the tight finish, three staying hurdlers going hard at it on the run-in, each looking a possible winner inside the final furlong of the Grade 1 William Hill Aintree Hurdle.

Although Impaire Et Passe looked a probable winner to the naked eye, it took the photo to confirm he had beaten Bob Olinger by a nose, with Langer Dan just a short head away in third.

But that was only the start of it. The first three had come close together at various stages and the stewards' inquiry was called, albeit four minutes after they passed the post.

It was clearly a tricky one to call as it was not until the runners were going to post for the following race that "result stands" was finally announced – much to the relief of the owners, who joked they had had to win the race twice.

"The photo was nerve-racking and then there was a never-ending stewards' inquiry!" Munir said. "For me, obviously I'm biased, but being as objective as I can be, I can't see he did anything wrong really."

• 'If the two incidents hadn't happened I'd have won' - inside the Aintree Hurdle stewards' inquiry 

Winning jockey Paul Townend was relieved the result was unchanged, despite the best efforts of Rachael Blackmore and Harry Skelton to plead their cases.

"They're going to do their best when it's a narrow distance, but I've gone clear of Harry and he's never had to stop riding," he said. "He's had to change his path around me, but that's just because I've gone and taken the rail. Rachael felt she was impeded with me going right, but I was far enough clear. It all worked out okay.

"You're never confident going into a stewards' inquiry and the distances were so short, but we got a fair hop of the ball, they analysed everything and you wouldn't get away with much with the cameras that we have nowadays!"

Impaire Et Passe, Langer Dan and Bob Olinger lunge for the lineCredit: GROSSICK RACING

Impaire Et Passe had gone clear only to appear to idle on the run-in and Townend said: "I would have been happier with a stronger pace and something to aim at for longer.  I thought he pulled up a little bit in front. It's nice to have him back. He's had his day today."

Asked about the winner's wandering and jumping to the right, he said: "He has a tendency to do it and I'd have liked company, but the other jockeys aren't silly, they aren't going to give me help. He quickened smartly to go and win well and then he's just had a look around in the last 100 yards."

Henry de Bromhead was philosophical about Bob Olinger's narrow defeat on the course and in the stewards' room.

"He ran a cracker," the trainer said. "I think he was a bit unlucky. He got bumped at the second-last, crossed at the last and bumped after the last. But there you go, that's the way the stewards looked at it. We just have to accept that."

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'If the two incidents hadn't happened I'd have won' - inside the Aintree Hurdle stewards' inquiry 

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