Oddschecker Sefton Novices' Hurdle |
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| Grade 1, Aintree 16:40 £100,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 3m 149y, Class 1  |
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1 Zeus Power 3/1
2 Catchintsavo 33/1
3 Johnny's Jury 11/4F
12 ran NR: No Drama This End
Distances: 2¾l, ½l, 1¼l Time: 6m 5.79s (slow by 8.79s)
Wins with ease! 😮
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 10, 2026
Zeus Power sees them off in the Oddschecker Sefton Novices' Hurdle 🥇#ITVRacing | @JosephOBrien2 pic.twitter.com/2SefRIzMvL
This race often rewards those able to blend stamina with a measure of tactical speed, and Zeus Power proved to have both in sufficient supply as he wore down his rivals in the closing stages at Aintree.
For much of the contest, the initiative lay elsewhere. Catchintsavo, alongside Dalston Lad, ensured an honest tempo without ever allowing the race to become overly stretched, the field remaining compact as the extended three-mile test began to take shape. It was a scenario that placed emphasis not just on endurance, but on positioning and timing.
Zeus Power, trained by Joseph O’Brien, was delivered with that in mind. Travelling keenly at times and not entirely fluent at every obstacle, he nevertheless remained within striking distance, his rider content to bide his time. Approaching the final flight, he moved alongside Catchintsavo, edging ahead as they jumped the last, before asserting with increasing authority on the run-in to secure victory by two and three-quarter lengths.
It was a performance that built on his effort at Cheltenham, where he had finished third in the Turners, and one that suggested there had been more to that run than the bare result implied.
“I suppose he went to Cheltenham (third in Turners Novices’ Hurdle) under the radar. We rode him to run well, but I suppose in hindsight if we’d ridden him differently he could have finished a bit closer.
“It was a very good performance today. He was quite keen and he missed the odd hurdle here or there, but it was a very good performance.
“I suppose the smaller field today and he enjoyed the good ground might have helped.
“There were plenty of horses coming into this today who had run well in the Albert Bartlett which looked very strong form so we had loads of respect for them all, but in saying all that we were hoping he’d run well.
“He was a big price at Cheltenham, probably rightly so given his profile going into it, but he showed what he could do that day to be fair.”
For Catchintsavo, defeat brought little in the way of disappointment. His prominent ride and sustained effort suggested a horse well suited by this step up in trip, and one whose future may lie over fences.
“He’s such a class horse and we thought his best chance was in this three-miler.
“He’s got a bit of speed but we thought he’d be able to travel a bit more comfy here. When he turned in I dared to dream that we might win our first Grade One, but he’s run a blinder.
“I think next season he’ll be a chaser and I’d be sure he’ll be coming back here for the three-mile novice. He’s already schooling over fences and he’s a really accurate jumper. He’s got scope as well so maybe that’s where he’ll get his Grade One.”
Further back, Johnny’s Jury once again demonstrated his stamina, staying on strongly to take third, albeit without quite landing a telling blow on the principals. His effort, coming on the back of his Albert Bartlett success, reinforced the impression of a horse who thrives in more searching conditions.
“He’s finshed third in a Grade One so it was a mighty effort. The track was probably a bit sharp and he’d probably want a bit of softer ground. He got caught in a bit of traffic up the home straight but when he got a clear run he carried on galloping. In another 100 yards he’d probably have been second.
“I think we’ll probably go novice chasing next season. He jumps very well and he’s built like a chaser.”
In the end, this was a race that rewarded patience and positioning as much as stamina. Zeus Power, for all the minor imperfections in his jumping, proved the most adaptable when it mattered, finding both the rhythm and the reserves required to assert himself at the finish.
Sefton Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1)
£100,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 3m 149y, Class 1
12 ran
Going: Good to Soft
