Super Soins brings back National-winning memories for Hales with Gaskells win

Seven years after his Neptune Collonges nosed his way to Grand National glory, owner John Hales was back in the Aintree winner's enclosure after the opening race on National day thanks to the victory of Aux Ptits Soins in the Gaskells Handicap Hurdle.

The Dan Skelton-trained nine-year-old, a grey like Neptune Collonges, and ridden by the trainer's brother Harry, scored a four-and-a-half-length win from stablemate Tommy Rapper.

Skelton said: "Aux Ptits Soins can be competitive in good Graded races but he's more comfortable in handicaps and this is his second big handicap win this season.

"He also won the Coral Cup for Paul [Nicholls] a few years ago. We deliberately avoided Cheltenham last month to have him fresh for today and I fancied him a bit.

"You wouldn't want to be fancying him with anything less than six weeks between his races. That's it for him this season."

He added: "Aux Ptits Soins professionally negotiated two hurdles – he was pretty hairy at the rest of them, including the last, but it's about getting over them and surviving, and he did that well."

Bridget Andrews, the winning rider's girlfriend, partnered runner-up Tommy Rapper and said: "I ride Aux Ptits Soins every day and I said he'd win today."

Kildisart wins battle of the topweights

Kildisart and Mister Malarky, the two highest in the weights, dominated the closing stages of the Betway Handicap Chase, with Kildisart emerging on top by five lengths under Daryl Jacob.

Twice successful over shorter trips this season and fourth in the JLT Novices' Chase at Cheltenham last month, Kildisart, an 8-1 shot, was tackling three miles for the first time and got the trip well.

Kildisart (right) pings the last to see off Mister Malarky in the Betway Handicap ChaseCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the seven-year-old is unlikely to go to the Punchestown festival according to trainer Ben Pauling, who said: "I'll talk to [racing manager] Anthony Bromley and see what the owners want to do, but I very much doubt that Punchestown will be on Kildisart's schedule.

"That was a good performance. He ran so well at Cheltenham but just lacked a gear coming down the hill before finishing off very well."

Oldgrangewood finished third, four lengths behind Mister Malarky, who had previously finished fourth in the RSA Chase at Cheltenham, with Gold Opera, whose rider Craig Nichol's saddle slipped two out, a length adrift in fourth.

Elliott finishes the meeting on a high

With one race left after the Grand National, it just had to go to Gordon Elliott, didn't it? It did, Chief Justice just holding on in the 2m½f handicap hurdle for conditional and amateur riders.

Jamie Codd was aboard Chief Justice and the pair managed to fend off the fast-finishing Thistimenextyear by a head.

Jamie Codd and Chief Justice head for home before holding on in the finaleCredit: Grossick Racing

The winning jockey said: "I'm very lucky to be part of the Gordon Elliott machine and the race went perfectly.

"His run in the Fred Winter was better than it looked on paper – he didn't have an ideal preparation and he's come forward from there. He won and that's the main thing."

Codd's efforts did incur the ire of the stewards, as he picked up a seven-day ban for his use of the whip, with Darragh O'Keeffe, who was aboard Thistimenextyear, getting nine days for breaching whip rules.

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