Turf Travels II

PICTORIAL REVIEW Aintree Grand National Meeting 2009

He isn´t the most beautiful horse in the world, but handsome is as handsome does, and, back to hurdles, he has been a revelation this season: Big Buck´s. Like Cheltenham, this was his race.

They say history does not repeat itself, but it does just sometimes and it was a nearly eerie feeling to see Mighty Man again. Back from an injury that would have ended many horses lifes, let alone career, here he was, behaving like he did 2 years ago. He ran a most wonderful race in defeat, and connections were rightly delighted after:

Parts of the Stewart-Family, a very proud Big Bucks and a very grey Ruby.

It was oh so easy again for Walkon, who clearly could do with some extensions!:

It was big guns straight on day one in the Bowl: Our Vic, Exotic Dancer and Snoopy Loopy:

A lovely portrait of Star de Mohaison:

Denman beforehand:

With Denman taking a crashing fall that luckily left him none the worse, Madison Du Berlais again had his measure, and Tom Scudamore can rightly beam after. The race had the most tragic postscript though when the tough and gutsy Exotic Dancer, who had finished an horourable runner-up just half an hour before, died of an apparent heartattack on his return to the stable aera. A true fighter, he will be sadly missed!

Everybody has his favorite (in fact we have loads!) and one I am following for some time now is Bedlam Boy, now with Fredy Murphy, and seen here returning after finishing an honourable 3rd in ... well, some race. "When will he ever win one?" we asked Murphy after, to what he replied "Yeah, when will he ever win one?" Presumably when we are looking elsewhere ....