The winner of this Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) was the 11yo Tallyho Twinkletoe that absolutely crushed this rather weak field. He was winning his fifteenth race today in just thirty-three starts and of those eleven have come as a jumper (four as a Steeplechaser (unbeaten in this role) and seven as a Hurdler (from eleven outings). The gelding won both the Grand National Hurdle (4200m) at Sandown on the Lakeside and the Grand National Steeplechase (4500m) at Ballarat in 2019 in Australia. He won the Grand National Hurdle (4200m) here in 2015 and today made it a perfect set of four with victory in the Grand National Steeplechase in 2021. The winners and where they came from on the home turn were led (on the inside and five lengths in front), fourth (one-off the inside and length and a half from the leader), third (six-off the inside and half a length from the leader), third (eight-off the inside and two lengths from the leader), led (four-off the inside and half a length in front), led (ten-off the inside and four lengths in front), seventh (on the fence and four lengths from the leader), ninth (six-off the inside and three lengths from the leader), led (eighteen-off the inside and a length in front) and fifth (nineteen-off the inside and seven lengths from the leader). The track was bottomless and it came down to a matter of if you handled it rather than it being where you were positioned turning for home. The Open Handicap over 1400m today was run and won in 1:37.43 to show you just how big a bog the Riccarton track was on the last day of three meetings in a week. Tallyho Twinkletoe carried his 70kg today like it was nothing and he was rather well weighted considering his amazing jumps record plus the field he trounced today was very ordinary hence his $1.50 price. He is a marvel and his days are numbered as a racehorse/jumper but what else does he have to prove? When he resumed in May of this year he has been away from the track since August of last year but also remember after winning the Grand National Hurdle here at Riccarton in 2015 he did not race again until March of 2018 due to injury. Second home today and very distant was Mandalay that raced in the rear then gradually improved and ended up second the final 50m but was beaten fifteen and a half lengths. Third home was Shamal that is also an 11yo like the winner and he has placed this time in three Premier Steeplechases (the other two came behind the 12yo Yardarm). He missed second today by a nostril. The rest of this field that was very poor were beaten over fifty-five and a half lengths and as far as almost sixty-nine lengths for those that finished. Three runners pulled up with one of them happening four fences from home and the other two with a fence left to go. The winner was several classes above this very ordinary field and he could have had another 5kg on his back and still would have scored.