Al Dancer (5-1) was a poignant winner of the Best Odds Guaranteed On Racing Grand Sefton Handicap Chase at Aintree Racecourse.
Owner Dai Walters and trainer Sam Thomas were involved in a helicopter crash this week. The 77-year-old Walters remains in intensive care and was among five injured when a helicopter he was travelling in with trainer Thomas crashed in woods in Llanelidan, near Ruthin, north Wales on Tuesday evening.
But at Aintree in the first race run over the famous of the Randox Grand National fences of the season the Thomas-trained Al Dancer, under Charlie Deustch, just held on for a poignant success.
Having led for a large part of the race, the nine-year-old – formerly a decent performer when trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies – managed to hold on and triumph by just a nose from Gesskille (6-1) in a thrilling finish to the 2m5f feature. Percussion (40-1) was eight lengths back in third with Jessica Harrington's 7-1 favourite Lifetime Ambition half-a-length further adrift in fourth.
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Trainer Thomas had only had one runner since the accident, when Range, also part-owned by Walters, was second in a Chepstow bumper on Wednesday. But the grey Al Dancer showed a real affinity for the National fences to score a narrow and moving victory over Gesskille, who challenged on the run-in under Henry Brooke only to just miss out.
With Thomas naturally not at Aintree, his assistant James Standen hopes that the victory can provide a tonic at this difficult time for connections.
Standen said: “The fire still burns at home and we’ve been trying to for a bit to unlock the key to him. He obviously likes those fences and he was dropping down (the handicap) – it’s nice that one has fallen his way.
“Sam is okay and he was able to pop in and do evening stables last night and stuff, but he’s pretty banged up to be honest. Our fingers are crossed for Dai, everyone is thinking about him. Sarah (Llewellyn, daughter) very much wants us to keep going which is what we’ll do and winners like that are what he needs really. All our thoughts are with him and his family and we’re hoping and praying for a speedy recovery.”
Winning jockey Deutsch added: “All my thoughts are with them (the Walters family) and he’s a wonderful horse. He’s getting on now but he’s really taken to those fences. He’s been revitalised by them and Sam has done a great job, so hopefully it’s given everyone a pick me up.
“It’s not easy for a horse (to compete at this level consistently), they’ve got to be going to the well every time and it’s great that he’s sweetened up.
“When he jumped two out I was pretty happy and he was travelling strongly and he just wandered up the straight. I just wanted to get him over the last two and he was hanging a bit right coming to The Elbow, but when the other horse has come to him he’s battled back gamely. He’s a wonderful horse.”
