Champion Jockey Tony McCoy Steers Don’t Push It to Win The 2010 Grand National

The pre race betting had Barry Geraghty and Tony McCoy riding the two 10-1 joint favourites going into the 2010 Aintree Grand National and a smooth start saw an unfortunate moment for St John’s Castle, as the horse ridden by Paul Carberry refused to leave the start area.

28-1 shot, Eric’s Charm fell at the 1st and a tight field was still yet to produce a clear leader running towards the second fence. Grey skies did nothing to temper the atmosphere as the cheering crowd were full of voice, each cheering on their own particular favourite.

100-1 outsider Conna Castle reached Becher’s Brook first with a clear 4 length lead, with Black Apalachi and Hello Bud following ahead of a now stretched field. Conna Castle turned wide at Canal Turn, sporting his easily identifiable white nose band, but he recovered to retain his place at the front, with 35 of the 40 starters still running.

This is how it remained for the next few fences and it was only at the Chair that the pack made some headway towards the leading trio. The pace quickened and it was outsider Conna Castle ridden by Sean Flanagan that drew neck and neck with Denis O’Regan on Black Apalachi some 5 lengths clear at the front, leaving Hello Bud a distant 3rd.

Heading over Becher’s for the second time, Black Apalachi had seized the initiative, stealing a 7 length lead, with Conna Castle fading badly. AP McCoy’s Don’t Push It accelerated to close in on the leaders from a good distance behind and draw alongside.

Heading For Home

Over the Melling Road, it was a four horse race, with Don’t Push It now level with Black Apalachi, Big Fella Thanks and Hello Bud running round the final bend. McCoy’s presence at the front began to draw a enthusiastic roar from the assembled crowd as these four were well clear of the rest.

Irish Joy

The last fence saw McCoy hit the front and Hello Bud drop away, leaving a straight sprint for the line for the remaining trio. Despite a strong challenge from Black Apalachi, McCoy managed to get up in the final furlongs, getting to the line first on Don’t Push. Despite winning multiple champion jockey titles, this was his first Grand National win at the fifteenth attempt and you could see it written across his face.

His joy was obvious, as it was for J P McManus and Jonjo O’Neill. It was another great day at Aintree for the Irish and a day of firsts, not least for the punter’s favourite, Tony McCoy.

Kew Gardens Offers Champions' Weekend Value

Champions’ Weekend is on the horizon as the flat horse racing season comes to a close in the United Kingdom for another year. There have been some outstanding competitors that have delighted spectator and bettors alike with their performances on the track. The penultimate weekend in October is the last opportunity that some of the horses will compete at Ascot and their respective trainers will be desperate to see them sign off on a high note.

One of the competitors that will be striving for success will be Kew Gardens. The bay colt put forward a fine performance to win the St Leger Stakes at Doncaster, placing ahead of Lah Ti Dar among others in a talented field. As a result of his performance, he will be one of the leading contenders for the crown in the Champions Long Distance Cup. However, there is a lot of competition in the event, including Ascot Gold Cup winner Stradivarius.

Due to the quality of horses on display, the weekend can be a difficult proposition for punters in accumulators. Therefore, it could behove a bettor to delve into a punt to safeguard against surprise results such as a trixie. A four-fold accumulator can come in if only three horses are successful and to learn more about those types of bet use the trixie betting guide to solve any questions, but for major events such as Champions’ weekend, Royal Ascot and Cheltenham Festival they can be worth their weight in gold.

  

Kew Gardens’ field for the Long Distance Cup is a good reason why trixie bets can be useful. He has immense talent, although, given the quality in the race, the bay colt is still a slight outsider. Stradivarius, Flag of Honour and Capri all have shorter odds than Aidan O’Brien’s charge given their pedigree. To boost the value of an accumulator, placing Kew Gardens in with others leading contenders in other races such as Roaring Lion, The Tin Man and Lah Ti Dar proves the value of the trixie. The other three are the leading contenders and could well sweep their way to victory. As an outsider, Kew Gardens boosts the value, but could well produce a stunning performance at Ascot to defeat Stradivarius and the rest of the field. However, the trixie provides the cover for the bettor.

There’s no reason why Kew Gardens could not win the event, having already achieved a victory at Ascot this term in the Queen’s Vase. The Irish horse was not the favourite for the event, but produced a brilliant performance, displaying the endurance and then the pace down the stretch to close out a comfortable victory. Kew Gardens finished four-and-half lengths ahead of his nearest rival – his stable-mate Southern France – to achieve the win. In his last outing at Doncaster in the St Leger Stakes, he pulled off another fine display, winning the event by two-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of Lah Ti Dar. The challenge will be great for the Irish horse to overhaul a number of fine competitors, but he’s certainly one to monitor given the license of the trixie.