26th Dec 2025 – Aintree 13:05:00

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Analytical Breakdown

Market & Expectations

• Mydaddypaddy (8/13F) was a strong odds-on favourite from the Skelton yard, clearly expected to confirm earlier promise.
• Idaho Sun (3/1) was the clear second in the market, respected but not dominant.
• Everything else was double-figure prices, suggesting the market saw this as a two-horse Grade 1.

That framing matters — because the result upended the market narrative.

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Winner: Idaho Sun (RPR 143 | TS 140)

• Run style: Took a keen hold early but settled enough to travel prominently.
• Key move: Smooth headway before the 3rd, decisive when sent on before the omitted hurdles.
• Finish: Ridden out and kept on well — no fluke, no scrambling.

Assessment:
This was a proper Grade 1 performance. His RPR of 143 is the best in the race and backed up by a strong TS of 140, suggesting the performance was both visually and numerically sound. He showed pace, tactical speed, and stamina under testing (and slightly disrupted) conditions. The omitted hurdles and low sun didn’t phase him — a mark of maturity.

Verdict: Rock-solid winner, improved again, and fully deserving at the top level.

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2nd: Mydaddypaddy (RPR 140 | TS 137)

• Run style: Held up, travelled strongly.
• Key move: Made ground after the omitted obstacles, briefly looked like a danger.
• Finish: No extra inside the final furlong.

Assessment:
He ran well without quite delivering what the market promised. His figures (RPR 140 / TS 137) are good, but crucially inferior to the winner on the day. The hold-up ride may have cost him slightly in a race where Idaho Sun controlled matters up front.

Verdict: Ran to form, not beyond it. Still a top novice, but beaten fair and square.

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3rd: The Last Cloud (RPR 133 | TS 128)

• Run style: Prominent early, lost position, rallied again.
• Finish: Stayed on for third without threatening.

Assessment:
This was a respectable effort at big odds (18/1). His RPR of 133 shows he ran to a solid level, and he coped admirably with the race interruptions. Not Grade 1-winning form, but he didn’t disgrace himself.

Verdict: Creditable placing; reliable benchmark rather than future star.

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The Rest

Starmount (RPR 126 | TS 118)

• Led early but made a key mistake.
• Folded quickly once pressure was applied.

Verdict: Exposed at this level.

Glance At Midnight (RPR 119 | TS 108)

• Never landed a blow.
• Stayed on late but was already beaten.

Verdict: Outclassed.

Storming George (RPR 77 | TS 54)

• Performance collapsed completely.
• Trainer explanation points to hanging and lack of effort.

Verdict: Very poor run; serious questions to answer.

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Overall Race Review

Despite pre-race expectations of a short-priced favourite asserting dominance, this Grade 1 novice hurdle turned into a statement performance by Idaho Sun. He outperformed the market leader both tactically and on the clock, producing the highest RPR and TS in the field while showing the most authority in the finish.

Mydaddypaddy lost nothing in defeat but was exposed slightly as a horse who needs things to fall his way, whereas Idaho Sun showed adaptability, strength, and race control — all key Grade 1 traits.

The remainder confirmed the market’s view that this was largely a two-horse affair, with only The Last Cloud emerging with enhanced credit.

Bottom line:
A deserved winner, a fair second, and a clear separation between genuine Grade 1 novices and the rest. Idaho Sun looks the one to carry forward from this race.