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ON HIS OWN defied a mammoth weight to regain his Thyestes Chase title at Gowran Park, making nearly all under Paul Townend to give Champion trainer Willie Mullins a fifth win in the feature race at his local track, which sees him join Tom Dreaper as the winning most trainer.
The gallant 10 year-old, a long time ante post favourite for last season’s Grand National and a winner of this race in 2012, carried 11st 6lbs on his back, as he was sent straight to the front from the off by Townend, setting a decent pace and making it an all out stamina test on holding ground.
Stamina is one thing that On His Own has in abundance and having made nearly all, he turned into the home straight where he had started off, at the head of proceedings. Los Amigos, a very well backed favourite before the off, was travelling well in behind, as was the winners stablemate Balnaslow under Bryan Cooper.
On His Own began to weave from side to side as he approached the second last and having negotiated that obstacle, hung badly to the right over the last, but landed a couple of lengths up on stablemate Balnaslow, who pecked slightly on landing.
The winner kicked on to score by six lengths to 5/1 favourite Los Amigos, with the reserve Oscars Business staying late for third, relegating a tiring Balnaslow back to fourth.
“It’s fantastic. It’s some honour when you think back to the type of chasers that Tom Dreaper had, for us to equal that record is fantastic”, Mullins told Attheraces.
“I thought Vesper Bell was the pick of ours and might have put in a performance like the winner. On His Own’s form was 766, so myself and Ruby were discussing it the other day and I told him he should be riding Vesper Bell, so he won’t be thanking me for that. But you can only say what you think.”
On His Own was cut from 33/1 to 20/1 for this season’s Grand National in the aftermath and Mullins hinted that that is the likely plan: “People are saying his form around Aintree isn’t good but I think we have reasons for that. It’s a huge prize at Aintree this season.
“I will have to have a talk to the owners but I imagine they would be keen to go and unless we find a reason not to go, we will travel.”
