End of the line: my ongoing battle

TODAY I went to work - there's nothing particularly remarkable about that in the grand scheme of things, of course.

Except that it was actually quite a big step for me. Things haven't been going so well recently and I have slipped back into old habits.

My propensity to panic had never really gone away - but, since March, I had become so overwhelmed that I felt powerless to stop a series of attacks which have debilitated me.

There were three notable occurrences one after another, each one hitting me harder than the last. Basically, I was back to square one, exactly how I felt before I went to Thailand.

Once again, I sought professional help and, I am not ashamed to admit for the first time that I accepted the need to take a regular anti-depressant drug.

Additionally, I was signed off work for six weeks from the start of April, and I am on a waiting list for another bout of therapy.

But, as a good friend pointed out, taking drugs and attending therapy will only get me so far, and some concrete changes to my lifestyle will be required.

Indeed, the time off work - other than driving me up the wall in sheer boredom, hence my early return - has led me to reappraise my life somewhat. I found plenty of room for improvement.

For example, I was drinking far too much - not necessarily heavily on each occasion but regularly (almost every night) and then there were weekend binges on top.

My diet and intake of food also needs to be reviewed, I think, and there are other issues like a total lack of self-esteem which I would rather not comment on further in a public forum.

The only other one to mention for now, relevant to this blog, is that I spend far too much time on the internet when I could be doing other more productive things.

Consequently, after more than four years and over 400 posts, this is going to be my final entry on TheIntrepidReporter blog.

Before I go, though, and without wishing to appear vainglorious, I would like to put on record just how immensely proud I am of this blog.

It may have lost its original purpose sometime ago but that has not left it any less fun updating what has been a fairly eventful few years.

After all, since I started in 2009, there has been a change in government here in the UK but more of the same in the United States, scandal in the national media and decline in the local press.

In sport, I have celebrated the biggest party of my lifetime last summer; not just one England victory in the Ashes - but two; and I have recounted how the favourites won the most recent editions of the football, cricket and rugby World Cup. In golf, Europe has won the Ryder Cup - again not just once but twice - while, in tennis, Andy Murray became Britain's first male Grand Slam winner for 76 years.

Meanwhile, my beloved Newcastle United have been relegated, promoted, thumped the mackems, got back in Europe, and horrendously got thumped back by the mackems. Still, it is reassuring to know that life is rarely dull at St James Park.

In all probability, there have not been nearly enough posts on this blog about my personal situation. My struggle to pass my driving test was fairly well-documented and there was a touch here and there about my impressions of the Glastonbury Festival and the Blaydon Races, for example.

But so little has changed in my life over the last four years that it actually seemed unworthy of comment. I am no nearer the journalism industry now when I started the blog, but that is not something which I wish to lament here.

Instead, I hope - and indeed must optimistically expect, that one day I shall look back on these moments as the toughest of my life, and then perhaps wonder why I had to put myself through so much.

This is an ongoing battle which will ultimately define me as a person in the long term, an internal conflict which I simply must not lose. And I am determined I will not.

Thanks for reading.


INDEX 2013
Index 2012 Index 2011
24.04 Index 2013

MEDIA/POLITICS
Home
09.01 Halfway to hell?
25.01 Cameron offers a way out of Europe
31.01 Out of bounds
01.03 Eastleigh stays loyal to the Lib Dems as Tories fall third
20.03 Budget 2013: Osborne yet to get Britain going
20.03 Cameron brokers long-awaited press regulation deal
10.04 Thatcher dies but her politics live on
Abroad
22.01 Hope springs eternal for Obama
12.03 Falklanders overwhelmingly opt to stay British

SPORT
FOOTBALL
Domestic
05.01 The Season 2012/13: Van Persie puts Man United "halfway" to title
05.01 FA Cup Third Round: Cup of woe continues for Newcastle
26.01 FA Cup Fourth Round: Man United on the box again
24.02 League Cup Final: Swansea sweep aside Bradford dream
28.02 Oh, when the Heed went marching in!
International
06.02 England beat the Samba Boys to mark FA anniversary
12.02 African Cup of Nations: Nigeria return to Nations Cup summit
27.03 World Cup qualifiers: England stutter while Scotland fall first

OTHER
Cricket
05.03 England receive Kiwi wake up call
26.03 England make yet another great escape
Cycling
18.01 Retired Cooke lances the boil
Grand National
06.04 Channel 4 takes up the Grand National reins
06.04 Auroras Encore lights up the Grand National
Rugby Union
02.02 Six Nations: All to play for
Snooker
20.04 World Snooker: O'Sullivan celebrates successful re-launch (results only)

World Snooker 2013: O'Sullivan celebrates successful re-launch

WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP 2013

THE FINAL Best of 35 frames

	Seed				Seed
	(1)	Ronnie O'SULLIVAN	18-12	Barry HAWKINS	(15)

Frame scores: 87-4 (74), 92-10 (92), 0-98 (88), 0-81 (81), 13-101 (50), 76-7 (76), 113-0 (113), 104-0 (100), 0-73, 83-37, 9-61, 75-0, 0-91 (83), 4-133 (133), 103-0 (103), 117-5 (106), 69-62, 36-71, 134-0 (54, 76), 57-56 (55 O'S, 54 H), 0-90 (90), 133-0 (133), 75-49 (67), 38-87, 124-7 (124), 0-131 (127), 18-76 (66), 77-25 (77), 89-8 (88), 87-1 (86)


PREVIOUS ROUNDS
FIRST ROUND Best of 19 frames

	Seed
	(1)	Ronnie O'SULLIVAN	10-4	Marcus CAMPBELL
	(16)	Allister CARTER	10-4	Ben WOOLLASTON
	(9)	Stuart BINGHAM	10-2	Sam BAIRD
	(8)	John HIGGINS	6-10	Mark DAVIS
	(5)	Shaun MURPHY	10-5	Martin GOULD
	(12)	Graeme DOTT	10-6	Peter EBDON
	(13)	Matthew STEVENS	7-10	Marco FU
	(4)	Judd TRUMP	10-5	Dominic DALE
	(3)	Neil ROBERTSON	8-10	Robert MILKINS
	(14)	Ricky WALDEN	10-1	Michael HOLT
	(11)	Mark WILLIAMS	6-10	Michael WHITE
	(6)	Stephen MAGUIRE	9-10	Dechawat POOMJAENG
	(7)	Mark ALLEN	8-10	Mark KING
	(10)	DING Junhui	10-5	Alan McMANUS
	(15)	Barry HAWKINS	10-3	Jack LISOWSKI
	(2)	Mark SELBY	10-4	Matthew SELT

SECOND ROUND Best of 25 frames

	Seed				Seed
	(1)	Ronnie O'SULLIVAN	13-8	Allister CARTER	(16)
	(9)	Stuart BINGHAM	13-10	Mark DAVIS
	(5)	Shaun MURPHY	13-11	Graeme DOTT	(12)
		Marco FU	7-13	Judd TRUMP	(4)
		Robert MILKINS	11-13	Ricky WALDEN	(14)
		Michael WHITE	13-3	Dechawat POOMJAENG
		Mark KING	9-13	DING Junhui	(10)
	(15)	Barry HAWKINS	13-10	Mark SELBY	(2)

QUARTER FINALS Best of 25 frames

	Seed				Seed
	(1)	Ronnie O'SULLIVAN	13-4	Stuart BINGHAM	(9)
	(5)	Shaun MURPHY	12-13	Judd TRUMP	(4)
	(14)	Ricky WALDEN	13-6	Michael WHITE
	(10)	DING Junhui	7-13	Barry HAWKINS	(15)

SEMI FINALS Best of 33 frames

	Seed				Seed
	(1)	Ronnie O'SULLIVAN	17-11	Judd TRUMP	(4)
	(14)	Ricky WALDEN	14-17	Barry HAWKINS	(15)

CRUCIBLE CENTURIES (55)
143 Neil Robertson
142 Judd Trump
140 Ricky Walden
133 Ronnie O'Sullivan (x2), Barry Hawkins  
131 Ding Junhui
129 Ding Junhui
128 Shaun Murphy (x2)
127 Judd Trump, Barry Hawkins
125 Ronnie O'Sullivan
124 Ronnie O'Sullivan
119 Ricky Walden
118 Judd Trump
117 Marco Fu, Judd Trump
114 Ding Junhui, Barry Hawkins
113 Ricky Walden, Ronnie O'Sullivan
112 Shaun Murphy (x2), Judd Trump
111 Stuart Bingham, Ronnie O'Sullivan
109 Judd Trump
107 Ding Junhui
106 Shaun Murphy, Allister Carter, Stuart Bingham, Robert Milkins, Ronnie O'Sullivan (x2), Ricky Walden
105 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ricky Walden
104 Judd Trump, Robert Milkins, Ding Junhui, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ricky Walden, Barry Hawkins
103 Mark Selby, Ding Junhui, Ronnie O'Sullivan
102 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Michael White
101 Michael White
100 Jack Lisowski, Barry Hawkins, Graeme Dott, Michael White, Ronnie O'Sullivan

Thatcher dies but her politics live on

Baroness Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013), Prime Minister 1979-1990

MARGARET THATCHER, Britain's longest-serving and first - and so far only - female Prime Minister, has died at the age of 87, following a stroke.

Mrs Thatcher was PM from 1979 to 1990, and utterly transformed the country with her radical Right-wing policies during a controversial 11-year rule.

However, as shown by Meryl Streep's Oscar-winning portrayal of Mrs Thatcher in the film The Iron Lady, her recent years had been blighted by ill-health.

And, at Monday lunchtime, her friend and spokesman Lord Bell confirmed: "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning."

The flags over Downing Street were lowered to half-mast, and Mrs Thatcher's latest successor, David Cameron said: "Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds. The real thing is she didn't just lead our country; she saved our country.

"I believe she will go down as the greatest British peacetime Prime Minister."

Tributes followed from across the political spectrum. Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "She will be remembered as a unique figure. She reshaped the politics of a whole generation.

"She was Britain's first woman prime minister. She moved the centre ground of British politics and was a huge figure on the world stage.

And deputy Prime Minister, the leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg added: "Margaret Thatcher was one of the defining figures in modern British politics.

"Whatever side of the political debate you stand on, no one can deny that as prime minister she left a unique and lasting imprint on the country she served."

Meanwhile, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "The Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher. Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family."

But Mrs Thatcher was also truly a divisive figure, and has indeed become a hate-figure for many on the Left, having privatised several state-run industries and been involved in long run-ins with trade unions.

The most famous of these was the miners' strike of 1984-85 when pit-workers and police officers held brutal, running battles, notably in Orgreave, South Yorkshire.

Ultimately, though, Mrs Thatcher won. Unemployment in these communities soared, and the communities themselves broke down and lost any sense of purpose.

For this, Mrs Thatcher will never be forgiven in the pit towns and mining villages. As far as they are concerned, they were considered collateral damage in her reforms and their wounds remain to this very day.

At the time, there were many unashamedly spiteful protest songs - notably Elvis Costello's Tramp The Dirt Down and Hefner's The Day That Thatcher Dies, which foretold her demise with children singing "Ding Dong, the witch is dead" in its closing section.

Of course, it mattered not. The political result was the same - victory for Mrs Thatcher.

Indeed, it was clear by the time New Labour were swept into power in 1997, replacing John Major's tired Tory administration, that the post-war consensus was over and free-market economics had become the order of the day.

Tony Blair, who was elected in 1997, paid tribute to Mrs Thatcher, describing her as a "towering political figure" who changed "not only the political landscape of their country but of the world".

Of course, just like Mrs Thatcher, Mr Blair won three general elections and did not lose one, before being forced out instead by an internal party rift.

But, unlike Mrs Thatcher, Mr Blair did not significantly change the political landscape of Britain, as he has admitted himself.

"I always thought my job was to build on some of the things she had done rather than reverse them," he said, and in doing so he has effectively rendered Labour and the Conservatives as two sides of the same coin.

Mr Blair's successor Gordon Brown even invited a frail Mrs Thatcher to Downing Street in a seemingly fruitless attempt to broaden his appeal.

Now, at this point, I should point out that my parents actually benefited from Mrs Thatcher's period in power. The Right to Buy scheme took them out of council accommodation and put them on the property ladder.

But, in many ways, they were fortunate. My dad had a steady job as an electrician with a sign firm and the company he worked for did not go bust - but many did, especially in the early 1990s recession.

This meant that a lot of people who bought their homes could not afford to repayments, and a lack of social housing, which the government felt was not much required, left no safety net to those who became insolvent.

Famously, as Chancellor, Mr Brown foolishly promised an end to Tory "boom and bust". But then, in 2008, coincidentally shortly after he had become PM himself, came the biggest crash since the Great Depression in 1930s.

Just like in Mrs Thatcher's day, growth in the economy under New Labour had been utterly reliant on the financial services sector and an unsustainable housing boom.

Nothing had changed, and still nothing has. Mrs Thatcher is dead but her politics live on.

Auroras Encore lights up the Grand National

OUTSIDER Auroras Encore produced a blinding finish to win the 166th staging of the Grand National at Aintree by nine lengths this afternoon.

The 66/1 shot, ridden by 23-year-old Grand National novice Ryan Mania, jumped the last fence brilliantly to take over the lead from Teaforthree and Oscar Time before striding home.

Cappa Bleu also overtook the tiring pair to finish in second for an improvement on his fourth place last year.

But the best news came from the fact that the race avoided the controversy of the last two years. All 40 runners returned to the stables afterwards, and there were 17 who completed the course.

Of the horses that failed to finish, only two were classed as having fallen and six unseated their rider. No fewer than 14 horses were pulled up, for which credit must go to their jockeys, although that does also suggest that the field is still too big.

At least, however, the carnage at the opening fences - a regular feature of recent Nationals - was not repeated this year.

Most probably, it was a consequence of the start being moved further away from the grandstand and closer to the first fence. Indeed, the whole field succeeded in clearing the opening seven obstacles for the first time in the race's history.

It was not until the Canal Turn that some hopes were lost, as the Rainbow Hunter, Treacle and Big Fella Thanks all unseated their riders.

By then, Balthazar King had established a narrow lead with the Walsh siblings, Ruby and Kate, on On His Own and Seabass sitting in the pack.

So, too, was Tony McCoy on Colbert Station - but the champion jockey's race did not last much longer as he came off his horse while jumping the Chair towards the end of the first circuit.

Meanwhile, as the runners crossed the Melling Road for the second time, Across The Bay had hit the front, just ahead of Richard Johnson's mount, Balthazar King.

At Becher's again, remarkably, there were no fallers although former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander was pulled up.

And so, as the field took on the back straight, it appeared as if the Walsh fairytale was still very much alive with the two siblings riding alongside one another.

Five fences from the finish, though, On His Own - the mount of two-time winner Ruby - became only the second faller of the 2013 National, Tatenen having suffered the same fate at Fence 12.

Suddenly, sister Katie was indeed, to pardon the wordplay, on her own - and just as her mount was expected to challenge, Seabass tired and struggled over the line in 13th.

At the front, Across The Bay had also faded, and a close contest had developed between Teaforthree and Oscar Time as they headed for the last of the 30 fences.

Neither of them jumped it well, however, and they stumbled over the obstacle in sharp contrast to Auroras Encore who took great momentum into the 494-yard dash for the line.

Ultimately, the 11-year-old gelding finished a comfortable nine lengths clear to the delight of young Scottish jockey Mania and trainer Sue Smith, wife of the the former Olympic showjumper, Harvey. 

And so, while there may not have been a historic first female jockey winner, Smith became only the third female trainer to win the National, after two-time winner Jenny Pitman and Venetia Williams whose Mon Mome was a similar long-shot at 100/1 in 2009.

Joy, then, for the Smith stables in Bingley, west Yorkshire. Generally, though, there was also a huge sense of relief from officials at Aintree racecourse, and from Channel 4 who covered the spectacle for the first time ever.

Indeed, when Channel 4 gained the rights to broadcast the Grand National last year, it promised to "tell it like it is", even if that meant reporting on controversy and negativity.

But, instead, it has been rewarded with the surprise story of a jockey winning the world's greatest steeplechase at his very first attempt. Congratulations, Ryan Mania.


FULL GRAND NATIONAL RESULT
Going: Good to soft. 4m 3½f. All 40 ran.

1st Auroras Encore 66/1
2nd Cappa Bleu 12/1
3rd Teaforthree 10/1
4th Oscar Time 66/1
5th Rare Bob 16/1

Other finishers: 6th Swing Bill, 7th Soll, 8th Tarquinius, 9th Saint Are, 10th Always Waining, 11th Major Malarkey, 12th Join Together, 13th Seabass (11/2 fav), 14th Across The Bay, 15th Balthazar King, 16th Quiscover Fontaine, 17th Any Currency

Failed to finish:
Fence 8 (Canal Turn) The Rainbow Hunter, Treacle, Big Fella Thanks - all unseated rider  
Fence 11 Ninetieth Minute - pulled up
Fence 12 Tatenen - fell
Fence 14 Viking Blond - pulled up
Fence 15 (The Chair) Colbert Station - unseated rider
Fence 17 Lost Glory - pulled up
Fence 19 Joncol, What A Friend - both pulled up
Fence 21 Becauseicouldntsee - pulled up
Fence 22 (Becher's) Imperial Commander - pulled up
Fence 23 (Foinavon) Forpadydeplasterer, Quel Esprit, Weird Al - all pulled up
Fence 24 (Canal Turn) Ballabriggs - pulled up
Fence 25 On His Own - fell, Harry The Viking - pulled up
Fence 27 Mr Moonshine - pulled up
Fence 30 Roberto Goldback, Sunnyhillboy - both unseated rider, Chicago Grey - pulled up, Mumbles Head - refused

Channel 4 takes up the Grand National reins

CHANNEL FOUR will broadcast the Grand National for the first time in its history amid a sibling rivalry with Ruby and Katie Walsh both on the back of well-fancied horses.

Ruby - who has twice won the National already with Papillon in 2000 and Hedgehunter in 2005 - rides On His Own (10/1), while Katie will aim to become the first female jockey to win the race on favourite Seabass (7/1), who she rode to third last year.

Even if neither of the Walshes win, their father Ted could yet still be celebrating himself if Colbert Station (14/1) comes home first. The nine-year-old gelding will be ridden by none other than Tony McCoy, the 17-time champion jockey, though he has won the National just once, in 2010.

Stiff competition is expected to come from 2011 winner Ballabriggs (16/1) - trained by Donald McCain, son of Aintree legend Ginger - while 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander (16/1) has also been well-backed.

Meanwhile, Chicago Grey (12/1) looks likeliest of the four greys in the field to make it two-in-a-row after Neptune Collonges' stunning win last year broke a 51-year-old curse.

However, the other greys - Quel Espirit (50/1), Swing Bill (80/1), and Tarquinis (80/1) - are well down in the betting, and will do well to finish the gruelling four-mile quest.

Then again, the National is a race where anything can happen, as proven by Foinavon, a 100/1 shot in 1967 whose win earned him a fence name, and the recently-retired, Mon Mome, who started at the same price in 2009.

Whoever wins, though, Aintree officials and the British Horseracing Authority will be desperate for a clean race after the last two years, both of which have seen two horses die and, consequently, fences bypassed.

For the record, Ornais and Dooneys Gate died in 2011, while favourite Synchronised and According to Pete both died in 2012.

The death of Dooneys Gate at Beecher's Brook - an obstacle infamous for its 6ft 9in drop - led to modifications being made but both of the fatalities in 2012 came there again. This has led to further alterations being made.

Outwardly the 16 National fences look the same as last year, with no major alterations to their size and shape but, hidden from view is a new plastic centre replacing the wooden stakes which traditionally supported the structure of the fences.

The intention is to make them more flexible and less likely to cause dangerous falls when hit by horses.

Additionally, the start line has been moved further away from the grandstand in attempt to keep the horses and jockeys calmer while the jockeys themselves have been warned about curbing their speed.

Earlier this week, Katie Walsh defended the horses in the National, stating that they were "so well looked after; better than some children, to be honest".

She added: "Anyone who gets up on Christmas Day and mucks out loves animals. Sure, it's a dangerous sport. But every night, all over the world, a lot of horses are left out in fields starving.

"I don't read the criticism because it's not worth it. At the end of the day, it would be a lot worse if it had been two jockeys who lost their lives. I think everyone should remember that."

However, it was rather black irony that the only fatality at the National meet-up this week was an 11-year-old horse, Battlefront... ridden by Ms Walsh.

And, if anything, one of the biggest problems with the race has not been rectified. The size of the field, at 40 horses, is still far too big, and several of them will lack to stamina to last the course.

After all, would the race be any less of a spectacle if there were only 30 runners, as suggested by international charity, World Horse Welfare?

Surely, it would not and - while there would still be unfortunate accidents and incidents - the percentage of finishing horses would surely be much higher. It is now eight years since more than half the runners actually completed the course.

Regardless of that, the Grand National remains a British institution, even if it is a slightly troubled one, in search of a main sponsor after John Smith's declined to renew their eight-year association.

The move to Channel 4 is also expected to result in a decline in a viewership - not that the BBC1 is exactly competing this afternoon.

In place of their usual Grand National coverage are repeats of Bargain Hunt, Homes Under The Hammer and Escape to the Country - licence fee payers money well-spent...

Nevertheless, there is no reason why the world's greatest steeplechase being on Channel 4 should make it any less watchable.

Simon Holt is an experienced lead commentator and C4 Racing have provided exemplary coverage of the Cheltenham Festival since 1995.

Indeed, from 2013, the channel has become the exclusive home of free-to-air televised racing following a deal last March. This includes the Epsom Derby and the Royal Ascot meeting which are both in June.

Back to the present, and let's hope for a clean, controversy-free race with victory for either Seabass, or Imperial Commander, or Balthazar King (20/1), or Oscar Time (50/1) - just to make me some money...

The race is scheduled to start at 4.15pm. A full list of the runners and riders is below:

Card no | Form | NAME | Breeding | Age - Weight | Trainer / Jockey
1) 51U/1P/-2 IMPERIAL COMMANDER (IRE) 12-11-10 Nigel Twiston-Davies/Sam Twiston-Davies

2) P/33F0-0 WHAT A FRIEND 10-11-09 Paul Nicholls/Sam Thomas

3) 3PF-4PP WEIRD AL (IRE) 10-11-08 Donald McCain/Timmy Murphy

4) 1113-04 QUEL ESPRIT (FRA) 9-11-07 Willie Mullins IRE/Paul Townend

5) 40/-U312 BIG FELLA THANKS 11-11-06 Tom George/Denis O'Regan

6) 1113-23 SEABASS (IRE) 10-11-06 Ted Walsh IRE/Katie Walsh

7) 0-1U355 ROBERTO GOLDBACK (IRE) 11-11-06 Nicky Henderson/Barry Geraghty

8) P012-5P SUNNYHILLBOY (IRE) 10-11-04 Jonjo O'Neill/Richie McLernon

9) 1/46-P03 BALLABRIGGS (IRE) 12-11-04 Donald McCain/Jason Maguire

10) 11-0620 TEAFORTHREE (IRE) 9-11-03 Rebecca Curtis/Nick Scholfield

11) 3-11201 ACROSS THE BAY (IRE) 9-11-02 Donald McCain/Henry Brooke

12) 1P3-02P JOIN TOGETHER (IRE) 8-11-02 Paul Nicholls/Daryl Jacob

13) 413-5211 COLBERT STATION (IRE) 9-11-01 Ted Walsh IRE/AP McCoy

14) 2P1536 FORPADYDEPLASTERER (IRE) 11-11-00 Thomas Cooper IRE/Andrew McNamara

15) P1/B1F-1 ON HIS OWN (IRE) 9-11-00 Willie Mullins IRE/Ruby Walsh

16) 0-35233 JONCOL (IRE) 10-10-13 Paul Nolan IRE/Robbie Power

17) P0F1-12 BALTHAZAR KING (IRE) 9-10-12 Philip Hobbs/Richard Johnson

18) 1334-22 CAPPA BLEU (IRE) 11-10-11 Evan Williams/Paul Moloney

19) 2/4-4U60 OSCAR TIME (IRE) 12-10-11 Martin Lynch IRE/Sam Waley-Cohen

20) 44001-00 ALWAYS WAINING (IRE) 12-10-10 Peter Bowen/Tom O'Brien

21) 15U-606 TATENEN (FRA) 9-10-10 Richard Rowe/Andrew Thornton

22) 423F-01 TREACLE (IRE) 12-10-09 Tom Taaffe IRE/Noel Fehily

23) 011611 LOST GLORY (NZ) 8-10-08 Jonjo O'Neill/Mark Wals

24) P-P1440 SWING BILL (FRA) 12-10-08 David Pipe/Conor O'Farrell

25) U01-F430 SAINT ARE (FRA) 7-10-08 Tim Vaughan/Dougie Costello

26) B-0U631 CHICAGO GREY (IRE) 10-10-07 Gordon Elliott IRE/Paul Carberry

27) 010F-605 QUISCOVER FONTAINE (FRA) 9-10-07 Willie Mullins IRE/David Casey

28) 3B0-643 RARE BOB (IRE) 11-10-06 Dessie Hughes IRE/Bryan Cooper

29) 04-311P4 THE RAINBOW HUNTER 9-10-06 Kim Bailey/Aidan Coleman

30) F-63PP5 BECAUSEICOULDNTSEE (IRE) 10-10-06 Noel Glynn IRE/Martin Ferris

31) 12P-P00 HARRY THE VIKING 8-10-06 Paul Nicholls/Ryan Mahon

32) 2360264 MR MOONSHINE (IRE) 9-10-05 Sue Smith/Peter Buchanan

33) 1133FP MUMBLES HEAD (IRE) 12-10-04 Peter Bowen/Jamie Moore

34) 3F6042 NINETIETH MINUTE (IRE) 10-10-03 Tom Taaffe IRE/Niall Madden

35) 0P45F5 AURORAS ENCORE (IRE) 11-10-03 Sue Smith/Ryan Mania

36) P11420 TARQUINIUS (FRA) 10-10-02 Gordon Elliott/K Renwick IRE

37) 614U40 ANY CURRENCY (IRE) 10-10-00 Martin Keighley/Ian Popham

38) 2P-265P MAJOR MALARKEY (IRE) 10-9-13 Nigel Twiston-Davies/Tom Scudamore

39) 621B-001 SOLL 8-9-12 Jo Hughes/Mark Grant

40) 023P25 VIKING BLOND (FRA) 8-9-11 Nigel Twiston-Davies/Adam Wedge