Racing: Scott earns Wheeler's grand praise

Taranaki trainer John Wheeler praised Brett Scott's "great horsemanship" in plotting a path between a fallen jockey and a wayward horse before steering High Season to victory in a dramatic Grand National Hurdles at Riccarton yesterday.

It was the 120th running of the race and one of its most eventful, with Rioch and English jockey George Strickland clearing off to a huge early lead.

At times the gap to the rest of the field was at least 30 lengths as Rioch gave a bold display and approaching the third last fence, he looked to have the race in safe keeping.

But disaster struck as he hit the top of the fence and he and Strickland tumbled to the turf.

Worse was to come when the horse got up and then started walking away from the rail across the path of the oncoming field.

High Season and Scott avoided the peril, but Tommy Hazlett and Solid Steal had no chance, crashing into the wayward Rioch immediately after jumping the fence.

The drama wasn't over with Arreviderci and Vinopolis also falling in the latter stages, but High Season and Scott were away and gone, winning by more than six lengths from Mr Charlton, with a further three lengths back to Wolf Pack.

Scott said he saw the mishap unfold in front of him and had enough time to thread a path between Strickland and Rioch.

"It worked out to be a good move."

Scott, foreman for Wheeler's Melbourne stable, is acknowledged as one of Australasia's great jumps jockeys, but the Grand National Hurdles was the one big race trophy missing from his cabinet before yesterday.

"Scotty's a champion, he's as good as you can get" Wheeler said.

"He was quite circumspect approaching the fence. If you watch the replay, he was waiting and watching which way the fallen horse went and he chose the correct way. It was great horsemanship."

Wheeler acknowledged there was a lot of luck involved in the win.

"It was an amazing race and it was unlucky for some of the others, but that's the way it goes sometimes."

There were plenty of hard luck stories. Strickland wasn't injured but admitted his pride was.

"I'm a bit pissed off," he said. "We still had a fair bit left in the tank. He took off too early and jumped it like a steeplechaser and hit the top of it."

Hazlett said he and Solid Steal were travelling nicely into the race when Rioch wandered in front of him.

Both rider and horse took time to rise from the turf, but were able to walk away.

The other horses were not seriously injured, but Vinopolis' rider Richard Eynon was placed under observation.

It was High Season's 78th start and while he has had 11 other wins, it was easily his biggest.

He had finished a close second to Mr Charlton in the lead-up Sydenham Hurdles last Saturday and Wheeler was confident he would improve.

He was well backed and started $4.90 second favourite to Birchwood Run, who ran a distant fifth.

Wheeler said High Season would be aimed at the Great Northern Hurdles at Ellerslie on September 5.

- NZPA