Ubak back in business at Aintree

ubak returned to the scene of his most significant success to claim his first win of the season in the Gaskells Waste Management Handicap Hurdle at Aintree.

Although pushed along for a stride or two mid-race, the Gary Moore-trained eight-year-old appeared to appreciate every yard of the step up to the extended three-mile trip.

Having shown a return to form back over hurdles on his last two starts after failing to fire over fences earlier in the campaign, the 16-1 shot, winner of the 2013 Mersey Novices' Hurdle at the National meeting, moved through to pass long-time leader Rock The Kasbah between the final two flights.

While favourite If In Doubt flashed home under Barry Geraghty, having hit a brief flat spot, he could not make up the ground required to catch Ubak and Josh Moore, with a length and three-quarters splitting them at the line.

The winning jockey said: "He (Gary Moore) has done a miracle to get this horse back. He was a very impressive winner here three years ago, but he's obviously had issues since then and it's been a very careful process to get him back to the racecourse.

"He ran over fences earlier in the season, but it didn't really pan out as we had hoped. We switched him back to hurdles for the end of the campaign and he's done us proud. He ran a blinder at Cheltenham, but he's probably better suited by a flatter track."

Owner Nick Peacock hopes to see his charge line up at the Punchestown Festival and is not ruling out a return to chasing at some stage.

"He's been suited by the step up in trip, but I'm not sure he liked the ground so much," he said.

"He's obviously improved a bit since Cheltenham. He had nearly two years off and it takes time to get them back. He likes it here and we had him in the Stayers' Hurdle, but we thought Thistlecrack would be too much of an ask.

"We might go to Punchestown. It's at the end of the season, so we've nothing to lose and possibly something to gain. I think he jumps fences well, but only on good ground, which is hard to find in the winter."

If In Doubt is trained by Philip Hobbs, whose wife Sarah said: "Barry said the horse could have done with a faster pace, our own runner Rock The Kasbah couldn't go quick enough and it was unfortunate that At Fishers Cross didn't make it a faster gallop."

Silsol was third for Paul Nicholls, who said: "It was a big run under that weight, I was very pleased with him but I don't know whether he will run again this season."