Gracchus De Balme was a very game winner of the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters Chase at Aintree.
Ridden positively throughout by Huw Edwards, the nine-year-old looked beaten when he was passed by Dan Skelton‘s Jet Plane after the last.
It was to his immense credit that the 22-1 chance battled back and went on to win by a length. Lifetime Ambition was third with former classy hurdler and chaser My Drogo fourth.
It was a second win in the race for trainer Joe O’Shea, but he explained why this one meant more.
O’Shea said: “When we had the winner in 2021 (Cousin Pascal) there was no one here, it was covid year.
“As we’re only 15 or 20 miles away, we’re in proper hunter chase country and we’ve brought a coach load today.
“I’ve been very ill over the summer, I had a heart operation and my head girl Anna (Roach) broke her back on the gallops. But I kept saying to her ‘don’t worry, we’ll win the Foxhunters’.
“This horse is so fast he can play table tennis on his own!”
