Tag Archive for: Hill Sixteen

Sandy Thomson adamant protests contributed to fatal fall of Hill Sixteen

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Sandy Thomson has reiterated his stance against animal rights activists who disrupted the 175th running of the Grand National on Saturday, and urged the authorities to take “a much firmer stance”.

Hill Sixteen, trained by the Berwickshire handler, suffered a fatal injury after falling at the first fence in a race that was delayed by almost 15 minutes after protesters got on to the Aintree course and attempted to secure themselves to railings and fences.

The 10-year-old had never fallen in his 26-race career and Thomson felt the delays and the rushed preparation caused by the protesters were a major reason for the race’s total of three fallers, along with five unseated jockeys, over the first two fences.

“I read somewhere that it has been nine years since the fences have been modified and there had been an average of two fallers at the first two fences in those nine years, and yesterday there were eight,” said Thomson.

“I think horses got very wound up and, oddly, not having a parade didn’t help the situation. The jockeys get on the horse and then they have got to parade before going on to the course, to settle them down.

“It is nobody’s fault, everyone was desperate to get the race off and the jockeys were just told to line up and then told not to line up.”

Hill Sixteen had previously raced over the National fences twice, finishing second in the 2021 Becher Chase and seventh in this season’s running of the same race.

Having been walked in the parade ring with a red hood, along with others he was taken back to the pre-parade ring as the authorities attempted to quell the protests.

“We took Hill Sixteen back to the stable and took his saddle off, because we had no idea what was going to happen,” added Thomson.

“We put some water on him to rehydrate him a bit, because it was a warm day. Then suddenly it was all a bit of a rush.

“Ted Walsh was beside us and his horse (Any Second Now) had top weight, so he’d taken the saddle off. He said, ‘Listen, they’re not going to go without us’.

“Everybody was quite hyper and it doesn’t help the horse at all. People can turn round and say that’s a load of rubbish, but it’s not a load of rubbish.

“That’s why we have red hoods, blinkers and cheekpieces and things, just to help keep them in the best frame of mind possible.”

In the aftermath of the fatal fall, Thomson was adamant that much of the blame lay with the protesters, and his view has not changed.

He added: “I stand by what I say, they are totally ignorant about anything to do with horses.

Sandy Thomson slammed the animal rights protests
Sandy Thomson slammed the animal rights protests (John Giles/PA)

“We are getting fed up in this country and somebody’s got to start doing something about these people.

“Most people are going about their lawful business and you get them (protesters) lying on roads and things. We’ve got to take a much firmer stance.

“Unfortunately, with social media and things, it is far too easy for somebody to start a thread up and all these people jump on the bandwagon.

“The other thing, and this is what the MPs have got to work out – you keep hearing that half their mailbag is to do with animal welfare.

“Well, if they really want to deal with animal welfare, they need to sort out where there is real cruelty and the RSPCA will tell you where it is, but they don’t want to hear it – they don’t want to be educated.

Protesters were detained by police at Aintree
Protesters were detained by police at Aintree (Tim Goode/PA)

“Peaceful protest is fine, nobody has a problem with that, but you should not be able to go out and ruin other people’s entertainment. They have no welfare of horses at heart.

“The BHA are in a very difficult situation and I do believe that we in racing, or field sports, or whatever, have to be pro-active.

“I know it is very difficult, because the people who know don’t want to get involved. They are trying their best, but it is a desperately difficult thing to get across, all the welfare checks that are done.

“We have vetting stages, the horses have to be trotted up twice by our vet and the video is sent in, records of any medication all have to be recorded. It doesn’t make headlines and that goes to the complete issue of the thing – education.”

Hill Sixteen could give Ryan Mania the perfect National encore

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Ryan Mania knows all about Randox Grand National glory and he looks to an ally close to home as he bids to mark the 10th anniversary of his greatest triumph in the saddle with a second victory in the world’s most famous steeplechase.

In April 2013 a 23-year-old Mania strode into the Aintree paddock and climbed aboard the unfancied 66-1 shot Auroras Encore for what would be his first taste of the marathon four-and-a-quarter-mile contest.

Nine minutes and 12 seconds later the duo would return National heroes as Sue Smith’s seasoned handicapper gave the Scotsman the defining moment in his fledgling riding career, sauntering to a nine-length success.

Remarkably that remains Mania’s sole victory at the Merseyside venue from 50 rides at the track and although the memories are somewhat hazy a decade on, he will always fondly recall both Liverpool and the horse that shot him to prominence.

“It was a very very good day, but it’s like a distant memory now,” he said.

“You get little flashbacks every now and then, but it has felt like that ever since. It was a big thing to happen at the time, but it kind of goes by in a flash and it’s hard to imagine that it actually happened to you.

“It’s actually the only winner I’ve ever had at Aintree but every time I go there, it feels like a special place because of that one day.

“There is always a buzz and great atmosphere there and I love going back there whether it’s just for a normal meeting or the big meeting – it’s always a good place to go.”

He went on: “You can’t put it into words what Auroras Encore means to me, the horse is very very special to me and always will be – I even named my daughter after him.

Horse Racing – The 2013 John Smith’s Grand National – Grand National Day – Aintree Racecourse
Auroras Encore (right) ridden by Ryan Mania clears the Open Ditch before going on to win the Grand National (Anna Gowthorpe/PA)

“To achieve something like that – the race maybe might be not the same these days – but even back when I won it, it really was a pure test of horse and rider and how you bonded with your horse and managed to navigate the course. We will always have that special connection.”

Plenty of water has crossed under the bridge in the ensuing 10 years and Mania’s struggles with the scales saw him looking for the weighing-room exit and heading into temporary retirement less than 18 months after his Aintree success in November 2014.

In fact the highs and lows of a jockey’s job description were on show less than 24 hours after his finest moment when a crushing fall at Hexham, followed by an unforgiving boot from a trailing horse, saw him airlifted to hospital with neck and back injuries.

“That was really strange, that seemed to highlight me as a person more than the National – it seemed to be in the press more than the win was,” recalled Mania. “It was definitely back down to earth with a thud.”

Having become the first Scottish jockey for 117 years to win the race in 2013, he will now attempt to help his step father-in-law, Sandy Thomson, become just the third Scottish trainer to taste Grand National glory aboard Hill Sixteen.

Hill Sixteen (left) fights out the finish of the 2021 Becher Chase at Aintree with Charlie Longsdon's Snow Leopardess (right)
Hill Sixteen (left) fights out the finish of the 2021 Becher Chase at Aintree with Charlie Longsdon’s Snow Leopardess (right) (Tim Goode/PA)

Although the Scottish Saltire is well-represented this year with race favourite Corach Rambler, Hill Sixteen has proven course form having finished second in the Becher Chase previously and the rider believes he could sneak into the frame given ease in the ground on Merseyside.

“It’s a very different race these days and it is looking more and more like you need a graded horse to win whereas back when I won it, he was just a very good handicapper,” continued Mania.

“It’s getting increasingly hard to find that horse that is going to win, but we’ll always be trying and Hill Sixteen – if it comes up soft we would have a realistic chance, but if it is dry we might struggle a little bit.

“Touch wood he’s very good round there and he’s your old-fashioned chaser. He’s big and he’s slow. He’s got a touch of class which is great, but he could really do with a touch of soft ground just to slow it all down. I think the problem with making the fences a lot smaller these days is the horses tend to go quicker and you need a horse with a lot of speed in the National now.”

Although his victory on Auroras Encore will be difficult to top, Mania thinks it would be “extra special” to enjoy Aintree glory in conjunction with his family, while the 34-year-old also tips his hat to the 10-year-old’s owner Jimmy Fyffe – the Dundee businessman who is a huge supporter of racing north of the border.

Hill Sixteen's trainer Sandy Thomson is Ryan Mania step father-in-law
Hill Sixteen’s trainer Sandy Thomson is Ryan Mania step father-in-law (John Giles/PA)

He continued: “It would be extra special to win it again because it’s not just Sandy, it’s my mother-in-law and my wife – it’s a family operation. Now with having kids the whole family aspect of it would make it pretty special. I’m not sure I can put into words what it would mean, but it would be huge anyway.

“It’s the owner’s dream as well. He is a great supporter of racing in general and he’s mad keen for a runner in the National so it’s great for him to go there with a horse that on paper has a chance and one I would genuinely fancy to go close if there was soft ground.”

Hill Sixteen is set to carry just 10st 2lb – 3lb lower than Mania’s lowest riding weight during the last 12 months.

He has employed the help of a dietician to help him in his quest and insists, far from having an issue with his weight, he simply refuses to use some of the age-old methods commonly used to strip back the pounds.

“The only time I would have problems with something like that is if a few days before a ride someone says ‘oh you’ve got this light weight to do’,” he explained.

“But because I’ve had plenty of time I’m able to get the weight down safely and remain strong and fit so I don’t foresee any issues.

“I’ve had a dietician before but I’m working with someone again now. Just someone on the end of a phone to make sure you are hitting your goals and having that accountably to make sure you are doing the right thing and keeping you on the right path.”

He continued: “I effectively don’t have a weight issue, I just refuse to sweat. I refuse to lie in the bath or go in the sauna and do too much sweating. So when they say you need to do light I’m happy to say ‘no, I’m not putting myself through that’. That’s the reason behind it and I try to do everything healthily and properly.

“I would have been one of them a few years ago, but you get a bit older and you learn something with age and experience and that’s one of them.”

National hope Hill aiming to make it third-time lucky for Thomson

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Sandy Thomson will fly the flag for the Scottish Borders when Hill Sixteen lines up in the Randox Grand National.

The region has a rich racing heritage and the 10-year-old will be the Lambden-based trainer’s third runner in the race as he sneaks into the 40-strong field off a feather-weight of 10st 2lb.

Seeyouatmidnight was sent off at 11-1 as Thomson’s first runner in the Merseyside marathon in 2018 finishing a well-held 11th behind Tiger Roll, before Dingo Dollar rather unfortunately unshipped Ryan Mania when going well at the second Canal Turn 12 months ago.

Now it is the turn of Hill Sixteen, who was beaten a nose in a Becher Chase thriller by Snow Leopardess in 2021 and last seen finishing seventh in the most recent renewal of the renowned dress rehearsal over the famous green spruce.

Although his best form comes with ease in the ground, his two completions over the National fences have the Borders handler dreaming it will be a case of third-time lucky ahead of Hill Sixteen’s turn to face the Aintree starter.

“We’re really looking forward to it and it has been such a funny spring we really could get a soft-ground National,” said Thomson.

“We’ve seen in the Becher over the past two years it has got to be soft for him to stand a chance. We saw last year that on good ground the top-rated horses have a much better chance, but when it turns soft, they have a big weight to lump round.”

The Grand National has been an ever-present in Thomson’s life and from an early age he grew up listening to tales of Scotland’s favourite racehorse – the Reg Tweedie-trained Freddie.

Freddie was sent off favourite for both the 1965 and 1966 Grand Nationals, finishing runner-up on both occasions, while Thomson’s brush with Aintree history stretches back to 1939 silver medallist MacMoffatt who was bred by the handler’s grandfather.

Although John Leadbetter’s Rubstic in 1979 and Lucinda Russell’s 2017 scorer One For Arthur are the only two winners of the world’s most famous steeplechase from north of the border, Thomson is keen to uphold Scotland’s strong association with the race.

He continued: “I have lots of very early memories of the race and we had Freddie just up the road. I was too young then but grew up with the stories of Freddie and my grandfather bred MacMoffatt.

“John Leadbetter won it and the Borders have had a great association with the race, albeit mostly hard-luck stories rather than actually winning it. But we’ve always gone there and been competitive.

“Non-racing people can’t understand how difficult it is to get a horse qualified to run in the Grand National and hopefully this will be our third runner. Some yards have hardly had a runner in the race. It’s a great occasion to be part of.”

Horse Racing – The 2013 John Smith’s Grand National – Grand National Day – Aintree Racecourse
Ryan Mania celebrates on Auroras Encore after winning the Grand National in 2013 (David Davies/PA)

If Hill Sixteen were to march home in front on April 15, it would be an extra-special moment for Thomson with stepson-in-law Ryan Mania set to do the steering.

Mania won the National on Auroras Encore in 2013 and having retired from the saddle in 2014, spent his years away from the weighing room serving as assistant for Thomson’s Lambden Racing operation before returning to the riding ranks with renewed vigour in 2019.

“Ryan’s record round the fences is very good,” continued Thomson. “He was unlucky last year with his saddle slipping round Canal Turn. That can happen to anyone in a race like that.

“The race has changed hugely over the last four or five years. Ryan said after riding in it last year that it’s such a different race now to what is was when he won on Aurora’s Encore.”

Thomson eyeing Eider prep for National hope Hill Sixteen

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Sandy Thomson is plotting a potential route to the Randox Grand National via the Eider Chase with Hill Sixteen.

The tough staying chaser has not run since finishing seventh to Ashtown Lad in the Becher Chase at Aintree in early December.

His Berwickshire handler saw the 10-year-old drop 2lb in the handicap to a mark of 143, which should be a high enough mark to see Court Cave gelding slip into the National off a low weight.

Thomson is keen to protect that mark and said: “Obviously, we want to go for the National, so on 143, we couldn’t really run him again.

“We thought he would go for the Grand National Trial, but this year it so happens that the Grand National Trial is before the National weights are published.

“So it will either be the Eider (at Newcastle on February 25) – but if it was really soft you might not want to give him a really hard race in that – or it will be the Premier Chase at Kelso (March 4).”

Hill Sixteen was runner-up to Snow Leopardess in the Becher Chase, a recognised National trial, in December 2021, so has plenty of experience over the unique spruce-topped fences.

However, Thomson insists that any thoughts of a run in the extended four-and-a-quarter-mile April 15 spectacular will be dependent on plenty of rain.

“It’s got to be wet enough for him,” said Thomson. “The way these (dry) Aprils have been going recently, we are bound to get a wet one soon.”