Horse Racing

Aintree Grand National Festival News: Knight Salute gets Jewson Anniversary after Stewards Enquiry

Tom ReedTom Reed7 April 2022
Knight Salute in full flight

Knight Salute in full flight

Drama in the Jewson Anniversary 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle as Pied Piper and Knight Salute dead-heated. Milton Harris' Knight Salute was given the race after the placings were altered by the stewards.

Gordon Elliott's Pied Piper and Milton Harris' Knight Salute fought a thrilling duel to the finish in a dead-heat Jewson Anniversary 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree. But Knight Salute was given the race following a stewards enquiry.

The race was subject of a photo-finish with nothing between the two runners who had burned off the rest of the nine runner field.
Inca Prince had taken up the running in the two miles, one furlong Grade 1 but in truth the race boiled down to the Elliott and Harris runners.
Pied Piper was third to Vauban in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival while Knight Salute came home ninth in the same race.

Harris was celebrating his first Grade 1 win in dramatic fashion with the race also subject to a stewards enquiry. Davy Russell appeared to veer over and after a review the placings were altered and Night Salute handed the race.

Pied Piper went off the 10/11 favourite while Knight Salute was an 14/1 outsider and few expected the race to end in such dramatic fashion.

Harris said: "He cost 14 grand and gives everyone a bit of optimism.
"Brennan is his own man and said thank you for sticking with him, and he didn't knock the horse about when his chance had gone in the Triumph.
"He could run anything down, this horse, but the juveniles are still 15lb below the Champion Hurdle horses.
"That's why we were going to take him for a race in America later in the year with a view to possibly selling him."
He added on ultimately getting the race after the inquiry: "It doesn't sit well with me, it's not the way I like to play sport.
"But that's the rules, and if the rules say that - I just feel sorry for the second, I thought it was a good battle and it's a shame to see someone demoted."

Speaking before the verdict of the stewards, Elliott said: "Davy didn't say much, he just said he hit the front too soon and if he had his time back he'd have taken his time more."

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