'The best day of my life' - Nassalam routs Welsh Grand National rivals on memorable day for Gary Moore yard

It was supposed to be a competitive handicap chase, but Nassalam – a mere six-year-old – turned the Welsh Grand National into a procession and bolted up by an astonishing 34 lengths, so no wonder winning jockey Caoilin Quinn was quick to label it the best day of his life.

Quinn conjured a magical effort out of the Dream Well gelding, who is trained in West Sussex by Gary Moore and contributed to a memorable afternoon for the trainer as Editeur Du Gite won the Desert Orchid at Kempton and Salver landed Chepstow's Grade 2 Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle, also under Quinn.

Within the hour he had an even bigger victory on his CV. A useful juvenile hurdler, Nassalam also progressed over fences, but last season did not go his way and he was winless in five outings.

His sixth at Aintree in November offered encouragement before he entered the Welsh National reckoning by winning the trial at Chepstow this month. Punters reasoned he was set to be a player and sent him off a well-fancied 9-2 shot, joint-favourite with Autonomous Cloud.

Fergal O'Brien's gelding was pulled up on the home turn as Nassalam poured it on five fences from home, drawing further and further clear from the 19-runner field, which was reduced to just five at the finish.

For the record, they included the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Iron Bridge in second, while 2021 Welsh National hero Iwilldoit was third for Sam Thomas, Kerry Lee's Not Sure was fourth and in fifth was the Paul Nicholls-trained Complete Unknown. There was a sad postscript to the race as Nicholls confirmed that Complete Unknown suffered a fatal injury.

But the race – sponsored by Coral for what seems like forever but is actually 51 years – was about only one horse, who pecked on landing after the last, but still sauntered home.

Nassalam jumps the last in glorious isolationCredit: Edward Whitaker

Quinn, after weighing in, receiving his prize and posing for pictures, said: "I'm over the moon – I can't believe it. We got halfway down the back and he was almost running away with me. I was thinking it was a long way out, but turning in he was still hard on it. As we jumped three out, I've given him a kick, but never realised how far clear I was."

A Downpatrick native, the 22-year-old came to Lambourn as a teenager to work for Warren Greatrex, but his transfer to Moore has helped his profile rise, aided by glory in a couple of notable staying hurdles on the stable's Botox Has.

"This is the best day of my life and the best winner of my life," he said without hesitation. "Long may it continue. It's unbelievable to win these two races, but it just shows how much our horses love the mud. They seem to produce their best when the ground is like this and they're two superstars.

"This is where everyone wants to be, riding big winners like this. Everyone works hard in the yard and we're a great team. We've had a brilliant day today, which I'm so thankful for.

"I came over to Britain when I was 16 and things are going well now. I broke my collarbone at the start of the summer and it was slow to get going, but I've plenty of momentum now going into 2024. I'm a bit behind in the conditional jockeys' championship, but had a slow start and the dream sort of went a couple of months ago, although it's still a possibility so we'll try our best."

Quinn's opportunities have increased in recent weeks after Jamie Moore — primary jockey to his father – suffered multiple fractures, leaving him in a neck brace.

He braved the brutal weather at Chepstow and said: "We've got Caoilin and Houli [Niall Houlihan] and, for me, they're the best two conditionals in the country."

Moore hinted April's Randox Grand National was something Nassalam – led up by groom Gina Gibson, who was in tears but also bursting with pride – could be aimed at, although the London-based John Stone, who owns him with wife Yvonne, seemed lukewarm on that idea for the moment. 

He was sure about one thing, however. "It was a phenomenal performance, wasn't it?!" he said. "I couldn't believe what was happening. It was like a dream – it's not supposed to be like that.

"I remember watching Wayward Lad win this race in the 1980s and we've had some nice horses, including Baron Alco, who was a lovely horse, but this is the biggest day I've had in racing. It was extraordinary."

It was, and there were 34 reasons why that was the case.

Read more . . .

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