Grand National 2024 – Impaire Et Passe survives stewards' inquiry to win Aintree Hurdle

Impaire Et Passe (evens favourite) had to survive a stewards' inquiry before claiming a narrow victory in a superb three-way finish to the William Hill Aintree Hurdle on day one of the 2024 Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse.

Having bypassed last month’s Cheltenham Festival, Willie Mullins' eight-year-old grabbed a nose victory in the Grade One feature of the opening day at the famous Liverpool track to show.. In a superb end to the 2m4f contest there was little to separate the three challengers at the line. It looked like Impaire Et Passe, under Paul Townend, would win well but he veered across the track after the final flight, impeding the last burst of Dan Skelton's dual Coral Cup hero, as Bob Olinger (9-4) came with his challenge on the outside under Rachael Blackmore. All three horses were powering home at the finish but Impaire Et Passe just got the verdict by a nose from Henry De Bromhead's Bob Olinger, with Langer Dan (18-1), running a mighty race stepped up into Grade One company, a short-head away in third. After a lengthy stewards' inquiry the placing remained unaltered.

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A delighted and relieved Mullins, who had won the Grade One opener to the meeting with Il Etait Temps earlier in the day, said: "It was a long wait but I was pretty confident we'd keep it once I'd seen the overhead angle, I thought that gave us a great chance. When Paul and Harry (Skelton on Langer Dan) crossed after the last hurdle there was never any interference and I thought it would be hard to change it.

"On balance it was a hard result to change as Paul thought he was idling in front, which is a legitimate excuse. It will be interesting to hear how it went in there. This season hasn't gone to plan so to get him back to win a Grade One and a race of this magnitude is pleasing but one thing I have to say is Rachael (Blackmore on Bob Olinger) probably gave hers the ride of the race, even though she didn't win. He could go to Punchestown or we might think about France."

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Trainer De Bromhead, who will saddle three horses in Saturday's Grand National including former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, was pleased with Bob Olinger. He is back to form and was probably just in front of the trio just after the winning post.

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The County Waterford-based handler said: "He's been brilliant all season and I'm delighted with the way he's run today, it's just a shame not to win but there we go.

"I thought we were unlucky to be fair, he got bumped at the second-last, crossed at the last and bumped after the last, but that's the way the stewards looked at it and we just have to accept that. He ran a huge race and it's brilliant to have him back. I would say it's unlikely he'll run at Punchestown, he has an entry so we'll see, but that was a tough race."

Dan Skelton was disappointed to see Langer Dan narrowly beaten and said: "I'm just gutted that he got beat, I want to to win on merit. We were coming to beat Impaire Et Passe and Bob Olinger was coming to beat us was how I felt. That's sport, that's life, we finished third and we'll have another go another day."

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