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I Am Maximus confirmed his standing as a favourite by pulling away late to win the Grand National on Saturday.
LIVERPOOL, England: I Am Maximus confirmed his standing as a favourite by pulling away late to win the Grand National on Saturday.
About a dozen horses seemed to be in competition as they cleared the ultimate hurdle however none may match the end of I Am Maximus, who had gone out because the joint favourite at 7-1 and pulled properly clear on the ultimate part.
The end result delivered a primary Grand National win for jockey Paul Townend and a second for coach Willie Mullins.
“At halfway he was a bit careful with his jumping, but we just built his confidence back up again and then going over the last two (fences) I had the four horses in front of me that I wanted in front of me,” Townend stated. “I was hoping when I pulled him out that he’d pick up and go and he did. … The feeling passing the line is up there with the best I’ve had.”
Delta Work was second and Minella Indo third.
Defending champion Corach Rambler unseated jockey Derek Fox on the primary fence, however there have been no reviews of any horses or riders being injured.
There was additionally no repeat of the chaotic scenes from final yr, when the race was delayed by practically quarter-hour and greater than 100 folks have been arrested after animal rights activists scaled fences across the perimeter of Aintree racecourse and received onto the observe in an try and cease the occasion.
Organizers made modifications this yr with a purpose to keep away from extra protests, slimming down the sphere from the standard 40 horses to 34 in an try to cut back collisions and bunching both aspect of the fences. In the top, the slimmed-down race featured simply 32 runners after Chambard and Run Wild Fred didn’t begin.
Organizers additionally used foam and rubber toe boards to make the fences softer, and the race was held 75 minutes sooner than standard — at 4 p.m. native time — so the course would keep as smooth as attainable.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
