Gordon Elliott praised jockey Jack Kennedy after he guided Felix Desjy to victory in the Betway Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
The six-year-old, who came into the race on the back of a fifth-placed finish in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham last month, managed to overcome a mid-race error to claim victory a length-and-a-half clear of the favourite, Aramon, ridden by Ruby Walsh.
Rouge Vif was third followed by Itchy Feet, who had finished two places ahead of Felix Desjy at Cheltenham. Elliott, who had already enjoyed a race win in the opener with Three Musketeers, said: “He’s not a bad horse and Jack gave him a good ride. “We said we’d let him stride along.
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With the horses we have and the jockeys we use, we don’t tie them down to instructions and complicate things. We let them use their heads. “I thought he might be in trouble when he made that bad mistake, but in fairness to him in the last 50 or 100 yards he picked up and stayed going. “I thought when he won his maiden hurdle he was good.
He disappointed a few times after that but I’d say we were riding him wrong.” He added: “I’ll get him home and see how he is. I’d imagine he’ll go to Punchestown but chasing is going to be his game, so to win a Grade One over hurdles is great.”
