The second race of Aintree Ladies Day 2015 was won by Cyrus Darius.
Top Novices Hurdle Result 2015
2.15pm E-Lites Top Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
£60,000 total prize fund. For 4yo+, 2m 110y. Weights: 4yo 10st 12lb; 5yo+ 11st 4lb. Allowances: fillies and mares 7lb.
Penalty value 1st £33,762.00 2nd £12,720.00 3rd £6,366.00 4th £3,180.00 5th £1,596.00 6th £798.00
1) CYRUS DARIUS (Graham & Jan Calder, P Warren) Malcolm Jefferson 6-11-04 Brian Hughes 8/1
2) VAGO COLLONGES (FR) (Andrea & Graham Wylie) Paul Nicholls t6-11-04 Sam Twiston-Davies 7/1
3) QEWY (IRE) (Bloomfields) John Ferguson 5-11-04 A P McCoy 5/1
4) GLINGERBURN (IRE) (James Westoll) Nicky Richards 7-11-04 Brian Harding 7/4f
5) CARDINAL WALTER (IRE) (Fitri Hay) Nicky Henderson h6-11-04 Andrew Tinkler
6) JOLLY’S CRACKED IT (FR) (GDM Partnership) Harry Fry 6-11-04 Noel Fehily
7) MONTDRAGON (FR) (J P McManus) Jonjo O’Neill t5-11-04 Richie McLernon
8) TRADER JACK (Adam Lemon) David Flood 6-11-04 Stephen Craine
9) DABADIYAN (IRE) (Mark Albon, Chris Stedman & Gary Moore) Gary Moore 5-11-04 Joshua Moore
F) ENDLESS CREDIT (IRE) (Mile & Eileen Newbould) Micky Hammond t5-11-04 Joe Colliver
UR) COMMISSIONED (IRE) (Bloomfields) John Ferguson 5-11-04 Richard Johnson
11 ran
Distances: 10, 1, 10, 1, 30, 10, 17, 91
Breeder: Lingbourne Stud
Breeding: b g Overbury (IRE) – Barton Belle (Barathea (IRE))
Tote Win ?8.30 Place ?2.20 ?2.30 ?1.90 Exacta ?60.70
Winning Trainer: MALCOLM JEFFERSON Based: Newstaed Cottage Stables, Norton, Malton, North Yorkshire Date of birth: 1/12/46 Background: Born into a farming family in Skelton, Malcolm began his working life as a farmhand before joining up with Gordon W Richards at Greystoke aged 20, where he spent 13 years. Date of first licence: 1981 Cheltenham Festival wins (4): Pertemps Final (1994 Tindari, 2012 Cape Tribulation), Champion Bumper (1995 Dato Star), Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (2012 Attaglance) Major Aintree Festival wins: Top Novices’ Hurdle (2015 Cyrus Darius) Other big wins: Argento Chase (2013 Cape Tribulation), Haydock Champion Hurdle Trial (1998 & 2000 Dato Star), Christmas Hurdle (1999 Dato Star), Fighting Fifth Hurdle (1998 & 1999 Dato Star), Long Distance Hurdle (1997 Go-Informal), Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase (2011 According To Pete, 2012 Cape Tribulation) Number of Winners (1990/91-2013/14): 5; 3; 14; 11; 16; 14; 24; 29; 15; 26; 12; 26; 20; 12; 21; 28; 31; 17; 30; 19; 26; 26; 23; 30 Wins this Season: 23
Winning jockey: Brian Hughes Background: Irish rider formerly attached to Howard Johnson’s County Durham yard. Still based in the north of England and now rides freelance, mainly for Malcolm Jefferson and James Ewart. Rode 19 winners on the Flat in Ireland when apprenticed to Kevin Prendergast, having graduated from the Racing Academy & Centre of Education in Kildare in 2002. Aintree Festival Wins: Crabbie’s Topham Chase (2010 Always Waining) Red Rum Handicap Chase (2015 Surf And Turf), Top Novices’ Hurdle (2015 Cyrus Darius) First win under Rules in Britain: Renada, Newcastle, November 26, 2006 Cheltenham Festival wins (1): Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (2014 Hawk High) Big Race Wins Include: Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle (Prestige (2011 Back In Focus)), Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (River Don (2014 Urban Hymn)), Cleeve Hurdle (2010 Tiday Bay),Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle (2009 Alfie Flits), Swinton Handicap Hurdle (2009 Joe Jo Star) Wins (2005/06-2013/14): 11; 3; 39; 50; 44; 65 (champion conditional jockey); 50; 44; 65; 53; 44; 86 Wins This Season: 99
Top Novices Hurdle Stats 2003-2014
Previous Race: All 12 winners ran between 13 and 41 days beforehand. 6 of the last 12 winners ran in the Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Form: 9 of the last 11 winners finished in the first two last time out.
Starting Price: The last 3 favourites have won. The favourite has finished P 6 2 1 3 P 2 2 3 1 1 1 over the last 12 years. The winners market position was 3 8 2 1 6 2 6 4 2 1 1 1 over the same period.
Trainer: Nicky Henderson has trained 4 of the last 5 winners ( having previously been 0-18 in this race). There have been no Irish trained winners in the decade and just two since 1977.
Top Novices Hurdle Winners 2003-2014
| Year | Form | Horse | LTO | OR | Age | WT | Jockey | Trainer | SP |
| 2014 | 1122 | Josses Hill | 31 | 148 | 6 | 11-4 | B J Geraghty | N J Henderson | 6-4 |
| 2013 | 12112 | My Tent or Yours | 31 | 158 | 6 | 11-4 | A P McCoy | N J Henderson | 4-11 |
| 2012 | 11F2 | Darlan | 31 | 148 | 5 | 11-4 | A P McCoy | N J Henderson | 7-4 |
| 2011 | 11 | Topolski | 20 | 145 | 5 | 11-4 | Daryl Jacob | D Arbuthnot | 11-2 |
| 2010 | 12U | General Miller | 24 | 138 | 5 | 11-4 | B J Geraghty | N J Henderson | 7-1 |
| 2009 | 21 | El Dancer | 25 | 128 | 5 | 11-0 | D Elsworth | Lucy Wadham | 14-1 |
| 2008 | 32212 | Pierrot Lunaire | 41 | 137 | 4 | 10-8 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls | 5-1 |
| 2007 | 132 | Blythe Knight | 13 | 128 | 7 | 11-0 | A P McCoy | John Quinn | 14-1 |
| 2006 | 112 | Straw Bear | 24 | 142 | 5 | 11-3 | A P McCoy | Nick Gifford | 2-1 |
| 2005 | 111 | Mighty Man | 28 | 0 | 5 | 11-0 | R Johnson | Henry Daly | 3-1 |
| 2004 | 11 | Royal Shakespeare | 27 | 0 | 5 | 11-3 | R Johnson | Steve Gollings | 25-1 |
| 2003 | 10 | Limerick Boy | 24 | 0 | 5 | 11-0 | Tony Dobbin | Ms V Williams | 5-1 |
