Impaire Et Passe added another Grade One success to his record at the Randox Grand National Festival, securing victory in the EBC Group Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree. Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the seven-year-old followed up last year’s Grade One Aintree Hurdle triumph with an authoritative performance, edging past Gidleigh Park by a length and a quarter, while Jango Baie finished a short-head behind in third.
Paul Townend, who steered the 9-4 shot to victory, praised the horse’s impeccable jumping. “His jumping was really, really good. Even earlier this season, he jumped brilliantly. He hit a flat spot that day, but today he showed the same spark he had as a novice hurdler when winning here and at Sandown. I was in front sooner than I wanted, but the last fence here is a lot closer to the line. The cheekpieces seem to be working well.”
Racing manager Anthony Bromley highlighted the decision to bypass Cheltenham, a move that ultimately paid off. “He would have gone to Cheltenham if that race hadn’t been changed to a handicap, so they did us a favour. He didn’t run well enough at the Dublin Racing Festival, so we thought it best to freshen him up for Aintree. We discussed cheekpieces at Leopardstown, but it’s not something Willie [Mullins] usually does. He’s got a lot of class but doesn’t do much in front, and Paul probably felt he got there a bit too soon, but the horse took him there.”
Owner Simon Munir echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the benefit of coming into the race fresh. “We decided to bypass Cheltenham and bring him here, and it’s paid off. He jumped beautifully, and Paul had him in a great position throughout.”
Runner-up Gidleigh Park’s owners, George and Carol Eyre, remained optimistic about their horse’s future. “That was very exciting – he’s run so well, and there’s lots more to come from him. He’s a Gold Cup horse of the future! We’re delighted.”
Nicky Henderson, trainer of third-placed Jango Baie, was pleased with the effort, especially given the horse’s Cheltenham campaign. “The other two hadn’t gone to Cheltenham, so he did very, very well to come back like that. He finished very strongly, and I think we’ll be stepping him up to three miles next season. I had him in the three-miler here but had to make a tough decision between the two races. At Cheltenham, he was flat out all the way, but today he traveled well. It was a hard race at Cheltenham, and he’s done brilliantly to come back and run like this.”
Bromley also provided insight into their upcoming runners, mentioning key names set to compete later in the festival, including El Fabiolo and Matata in the Melling Chase, along with Blue Lord, James du Berlais, and Intense Raffles in other high-profile events.
With this commanding victory, Impaire Et Passe has reaffirmed his class at the highest level, setting the stage for an exciting future in the chasing division
