Hakim posts Aintree best
Hakim belied his advancing years with a personal best performance to win the totepool Grand Sefton Handicap Chase at Aintree.
And at the age of 12, he could be back at the Liverpool circuit in April in search of more glory over the Grand National course.
The victory gave Worcestershire trainer John Spearing and jockey Paddy Brennan their first taste of success over the big fences.
Hakim is clearly better than ever and he completed a four-timer with a two-and-a-half-length verdict over Fiori.
“It’s my first winner over the National fences. We’ve had two runners in the National, one fell at the first and one fell at the second, but we did have one get round in the Topham a few years ago,” Kinnersley-based Spearing said.
“I think Hakim will make a Topham horse. His rating is too low to get in the National. I’d run him in the National if by then he has gone up.
“He’s getting a bit old to be improving but he is.”
Brennan, 24, who described the win as “awesome” went on to complete a 44-1 double in dramatic circumstances on Cerium in the Intersky Novices’ Chase.
The 11-8 favourite benefited when the leader, Nyrche, went left and missed the penultimate fence leaving Cerium to beat Stance by five lengths.
Afterwards Nicholls said: “Paddy said Cerium would have won even if Nyrche hadn’t run out.
“He’ll probably go for the Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Sandown over Christmas if four-year-olds are eligible.”
Fair Along (4-7 favourite) staked an early claim for top honours with a brilliant front-running performance to trounce his rivals in the Weatherbys Bank Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
Philip Hobbs’ three-year-old cruised home under Richard Johnson by 21 lengths from Ortolan Bleu, prompting Coral to make him their 12-1 favourite for the JCB Triumph Hurdle. Totesport were less impressed and left him unchanged at 20-1.
Fair Along had won a Grade Two contest at Cheltenham in similar fashion on his previous start and the trainer’s wife, Sarah Hobbs, said: “Richard said he was delighted with that and said he maybe wasn’t as fresh as he was at Cheltenham.
“We probably won’t run him for three weeks and I suppose we might think about something like the Finale Hurdle at Chepstow. We are not worried about an undulating track.”
Alan Shearer was in the winner’s enclosure after the William Hill/Stanleybet Children In Need Handicap Hurdle to greet Covent Garden.
The Newcastle United striker owns the gelding in partnership with Dave Fulton, Alan Shield and trainer Howard Johnson.
Covent Garden was sent off the 5-1 co-favourite and Shearer admitted to backing the winner.
He said: “I had a few quid on but I better not say how much.”
Jack Doyle, 16, enjoyed success on his first ride at Aintree when he got Vingis Park (16-1) home in the Jim Ennis Construction Ltd Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
