High Season dodges crash, wins hurdles

DON SCOTT/The Press

HEAD OVER HEELS: Vinopolis and Richard Eynon take a tumble on the home stretch at Riccarton yesterday. Mr Charlton and Mathew Gillies were second while Wolf Pack and Craig Durden were third in the Grand National Hurdles.

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Falling over was the only way Rioch looked like it was going to lose yesterday's Grand National Hurdles at Riccarton, and unfortunately that's exactly what he did.

A run-away leader by at least 20 lengths for most of the race, the George Strickland ride appeared the winner at the 500 metre mark only to come crashing down with two fences left to clear.

The falls did not stop there. Rioch got back to his feet only to walk straight into the path of the on-coming Solid Steal and Tommy Hazlett who had no way out and also hit the ground and, almost, as if in sympathy, both Arreviderci and Vinopolis respectively crashed at the last two fences.

That was where Brett Scott and the John Wheeler-trained High Season entered the frame, dodging their way through the carnage that had unfolded in front of them to stride to a 6 1/2 length victory over Mr Charlton.

Incidentally the same two horses finished first and second in last Saturday's Sydenham Hurdles, only this time the results was reversed.

Scott, who was elated with the victory of High Season, did linger on the thought that had Rioch not fallen at the last, the result might have been a little different.

"I honestly didn't know if we were going to get him [Rioch] or not," Scott said.

"You really hate to see carnage like that, but that's racing.

"High Season gave a faultless display up until the fourth to last jump, but he is a gutsy wee horse and jumped really well."

While it might have appeared that all the luck went in favour of High Season and Scott, prospects were not looking that good for the duo early on in the race.

"He's not an easy ride as he over-races if he doesn't get cover, and although I was looking to settle in midfield I went back to find cover and ended up back along the fence," Scott said.

"We were still a fair way off rounding the final bend, but that's when things started to go our way."

Scott, who is regarded as one of the best jumps jockeys in Australasia is the foreman of Wheeler's Melbourne stable, and despite winning pretty much every big jumping race that there is on offer, a Grand National Hurdles, up until yesterday, had eluded him.

"She's a bloody good feeling to finally get one."

There were plenty of bad luck cases from those in behind the first three placegetters including Rioch's jockey Strickland who was adamant that his charge still had plenty left in the tank before falling.

"I hadn't gone for him, but he tried to jump it like a steeplechase fence and took off too soon," Strickland said.

"I'm absolutely gutted and won't sleep tonight, and will be gutted all week until I ride again on Saturday."

None of the jockeys or horses involved in the falls were seriously injured, however Richard Eynon, the jockey on Vinopolis was kept under observation.

- © Fairfax NZ News