Grand National 2024 – Il Etait Temps opens Aintree with victory

Il Etait Temps (10-11 favourite) got Willie Mullins' off to a flyer with victory in the opener, the Close Brothers Manifesto Novices’ Chase, on day one of the 2024 Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse.

The six-year-old – who had been third in the Arkle Chase at last month's Cheltenham Festival – was much better stepped back up to 2m4f and landed victory in the Grade One contest, under Paul Townend at Aintree. Settled in the rear Il Etait Temps, who had won the Irish Arkle over the minium distance in February, wasn't foot perfect early on. But Townend coaxed him into the race and on the turn for home was travelling supremely well just off the lead set by Paul Nicholls' Ginny Destiny (4-1). The grey moved through take over the lead between the final two fences and powered clear to score by nine lengths from Ginny's Destiny. Dan Skelton's Grey Dawning, sent off the 11-10 favourite on the back of his victory in the Turners Novices' Chase at Cheltenham last month, was never really travelling but plugged on to be a head back in third.

Full list of final 34 runners for the 2024 Grand National

But as at Cheltenham it was Mullins back in the winner's enclosure. to give him just over £50,000 towards what seemed an unlikely tilt at the British Jumps trainers' championship.

Vanillier for victory in the Grand National

Mullins said: "That was nice and I loved the manner he did it in. I was really taken with how he walked around the parade ring beforehand, I haven't seen him as loose for a while, and I just thought if he could run like he walked, he was going to run a big race. When he jumped off at the start, I think for the first circuit I was very worried, he just seemed very behind himself – I don't think he's