// Karl Ude-Martinez
“There’s no comparison between this race and the Gold Cup. Our aim has always been to win graded races and they tend to be badly handicapped because they try their best to win those races. I was very relaxed all the way round today because I didn’t expect to win it. First Lieutenant fell early on and Sir Des Champs (who also ran in his colours) went at The Chair, but Mouse and his able assistant, his son Jamie, had this horse right and David Mullins, for a young man, rode a great race. He nearly fell off coming over Becher’s on the second circuit, but never panicked and was very cool. It seems to be a feature of most of the Mullins clan, whatever it is they breed into them in Kilkenny, that they are very cool and collected!
“Rule The World could have been Gold Cup standard but for the injuries he has suffered. He’s nine now and after that he could be retired – I don’t think they will want to bring him back there again, and Mouse will have to decide how he comes out of this race, but if he never runs again actually will it matter? I really think they are not too fussed now. He will go back to Gigginstown one day and be retired with Don Cossack and all the other good horses.”
Thankfully in a race which saw its fair share of drama with the well-backed Holywell parting company with Richie McLernon at the second fence, and dual King George winner Silviniaco Conti having to be pulled up by Noel Fehily, all 39 horses and jockeys came back home safely.
And after waiting nine years to taste success in the National last month after a golden period for Irish trainers, Morris’ Rule The World headed four of the first five home, heralding from the Emerald Isle. Luck of the Irish to be sure!
Morris said: “It feels like Disneyland - I cannot believe it. It hasn’t sunk in yet. Turning in I was thinking, “I’ll be very happy with third place,” but someone was certainly looking down on us. The way things have been going “Tiffer” has been working overtime for me up there. I was delighted to win the Irish race and this is out of this world.”
In a typically incident-packed race for a while it appeared Oliver Sherwood’s Many Clouds, sent off the other 8-1 joint favourite, had a chance of emulating Red Rum and landing back-to-back successes in the Aintree marathon under hat-trick seeking jockey Leighton Aspell, but the Trevor Hemmings-owned nine-year-old, who led until the 18th fence, tired in the ground and eventually came home last of the 16 finishers.
It was The Last Samurai who came in second. The Kim Bailey- trained eight-year-old was in front over the last, but after seemingly getting the better of a battle with eventual third, Vics Canvas at an amazing 100-1 – that would have been a nice bet – he succumbed to Rule The World, with the Enda Bolger-trained Gilgamboa (28-1) two lengths back in fourth.
When asked how he felt, Ryanair’s delighted Michael O’Leary said, "This is an incredible achievement by Mouse to bring a horse back to the track after two pelvic injuries, and to win the world’s greatest race over four and a half miles in soft ground shows the genius that Mouse is. He has always been a trainer for the big day; he doesn’t have a huge number of horses, but the ones he has look incredibly well, and if he would only get his hair cut he could have a great future!
KARL UDE-MARTINEZ Visit Karl’s website for more information & follow him on Twitter
www.knightsofmiddleengland.com www.ror.org.uk www.hpa-polo.co.uk
Twitter. @Karludemartinez
www.karludemartinez.com / 139
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