Kateira (left) and Inthewaterside jumping the last© Photo Healy Racing
Kateira landed a vital blow in Dan Skelton’s quest for a first trainers’ championship when romping home in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Aintree.
Second in Grade One company over track and trip 12 months ago, the seven-year-old has always possessed plenty of class and produced a performance full of quality to register a one-and-three-quarter-length success.
Having seen off the challenge of long-time front-runner Inthewaterside she kept on gamely to the line as Grade One course winner Jango Baie gave chase in vein.
Nicky Henderson ’s runner can perhaps count himself an unlucky loser as he adds more evidence to the Seven Barrows resurgence case, but the 5-1 co-favourite was strong at the finish to give the Skelton team their second win in three years following Langer Dan’s triumph in 2022.
Skelton said: “She’s a good horse, we came here last year for a Grade One which shows you what we thought of her but she just got lost in the autumn and winter on very bad ground.
“I actually stepped her up to three miles but when you do that it is because you are struggling. What she wants is two and a half miles on decent ground and if this race was yesterday it would probably have been too soft for her.
“She’s just really good, I’d have no worries stepping out of handicaps again after that, she might go to Sandown on the last day. Since this meeting last year if she didn’t end up being a graded horse this was the race we were always looking at.”
Skelton is involved in a triple challenge for the trainers’ title but said he is not letting it dictate his plans. He smiled: “I think this race should be worth £500,000!
“I went to bed last night thinking I’m not going to think about it again, it either happens or it doesn’t and I’m going to run the horses I’m going to run.
“I got worked up about it last week trying to think what Paul (Nicholls) and Willie (Mullins) were going to run but I can’t affect that. I’ve got to enjoy otherwise you have a winner like that and open the book and see how much it was worth. I’m not doing it for that.”
There was a shock in the closing Alder Hey Handicap Hurdle as Andrew Hamilton’s El Jefe stuck to the task gamely to strike at 40-1.
Still with plenty of work to do with the business end approaching, the seven-year-old responded to every urging from 7lb conditional Ben Smith and ran on strongly to edge his way to the front where it mattered most.
Hamilton said: “I put Ben on him as I’ve been watching him. He’s only had 10 or 12 rides, but he’s ridden really well and today he was class, like a professional.
“Last night somebody said he was 66-1 and I couldn’t believe it. He’s such a sound horse he runs every couple of weeks, he loves the racing. He’ll get a wee holiday now.
“I’ve got to get back home because I’m leaving to go to a showjumping show at 6am tomorrow morning, but I might have half a beer tonight!”
After the joy of Kateira, however, it was a sad end to day for the Skelton team, as Pikar suffered a heavy fall at the penultimate flight and the track confirmed his injuries were fatal.
An Aintree spokesperson said: “Pikar was immediately attended by expert veterinary professionals during the seventh race of the day, but sadly passed away following a fall at the second last hurdle.
“Our heartfelt condolences are with his connections.”
