Sir Alex Ferguson’s Clan Des Obeaux wins Betway Bowl at Aintree

Sir Alex Ferguson was celebrating on Merseyside for the second year running on Thursday as Clan Des Obeaux, the best horse he has owned in nearly 25 years in racing, took the Betway Bowl on the opening day of the Grand National meeting at Aintree.

The former Manchester United manager had an interest in two runners in the race, and the money beforehand suggested that Protektorat, from the Dan Skelton yard, was fancied to land the first Grade One win of his career. Clan Des Obeaux was always travelling sweetly for Harry Cobden, however, at a track that plays to his strengths, and despite idling on the run-in he got home by a length from the Irish Gold Cup winner, Conflated.

“We couldn’t believe the price he went out to,” Ferguson said. “Protektorat was a worthy favourite but maybe the Gold Cup [in which he finished third] had just taken a bit out of him.

“Racing is part of my life more than football now. I’ve a few with [co-owner] Ged [Mason] and John Hales and we got great enjoyment last year winning three Grade Ones here. I never won three in a row at Anfield, that’s for sure. I need to speak to Paul [Nicholls] about the Grand National [next year]. He will be 11 and it is probably the one thing to try at his age.”

There was a dramatic conclusion and aftermath to the Anniversary 4YO Hurdle earlier on the card as Knight Salute and Pied Piper initially dead-heated for first in the Grade One event, before Knight Salute was awarded the spoils in the stewards’ room.

The stewards decided that Pied Piper had impeded Knight Salute by jumping left at the final flight, despite being told by Paddy Brennan, his rider, that he had not lost any momentum and that he felt a dead heat was “a very fair result”.

Davy Russell, meanwhile,