This Prestige Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) drew only nine runners and was not a very strong field at all and in fact when the pre-post clear favourite Wise Men Say came out it left a very aged and shallow line up. So some jumper was going to get lucky today and Shamal was the recipient with the 8yo scoring by a length and a half in 7:01.05. He always raced handy the inside and then moved out and grabbed the lead before the home turn then fought off his lone threat thereafter. It was his fifth win from thirty-eight starts and four of them have come as a jumper with three now as a steeplechaser and one as a hurdler. The gelding was winning his first Prestige event with in three other tries the best effort being a very distant third and all have come it should be noted on flat courses. Another 8yo in Tai Ho tried hard after racing not too far away between runners and moved into an ominous second near the home turn but could not overhaul the winner and would have preferred a wetter and less holding track. Chocolate Fish ran his usual one-batting placing but the 9yo is still just the winner of a single race. Notabadrooster was fourth beaten thirteen and a half lengths and the 8yo may be a tad suspect at the longer trips but also he needs it wetter to be competitive. Next home were the stablemates Kings Deep (a 12yo) and Amanood Lad (a 14yo) that both raced in the lead at times but failed to stay and father time has been knocking for a while now. They were beaten about eighteen lengths. Delacroix and Windermere Lad never ever looked likely and finished in a distant clump with Kings Deep and Amanood Lad. Irish Dude was totally outclassed and dropped out a clear last beaten sixty lengths. This was not a strong field at all and was a very old field of jumpers with none of these anywhere near the top tier either due to being way too aged or not good enough. The jumping ranks have been very thin for several years now as shown by very old horses keep going around due to no younger ones coming through and proving they can cut the mustard. Just as the next wave of jumpers is yet to come through and has not done so for very many years now, the same is happening with the flat gallopers as this period of obvious lacking stamina breds keeps extending for an interminable amount of time.