'The aim since the day they named him three years ago was to run on National day' - Aintree dream comes true for Liverpool brothers

Aintree, Saturday – When Mr Hope Street crossed the line in front at this year’s Grand National meeting, the roar that rolled down the stands carried the accents of Liverpool and the unmistakable note of a plan fulfilled. Three years ago, brothers and lifelong racing enthusiasts from the city chose the name Mr Hope Street for their fledgling syndicate horse; from that moment, they say, the target was always a start on National day. On Saturday the dream crystallised under the famous spruce-topped fences as the eight-year-old cruised home to give the Liverpool-based ownership group their headline moment on Merseyside.

The gelding’s success is the latest triumph for the Fehily & Crosse Syndicate, launched in 2019 by former jump jockey Noel Fehily and ex-conditional rider Dave Crosse. Built around sourcing and campaigning jumpers for the sport’s biggest stages, the operation has already delivered victories at the Cheltenham Festival and at Grade 1 level, but landing a winner at the Grand National meeting has long sat at the top of the partners’ wish list.

Mr Hope Street’s victory, coupled with Ryan’s Rocket’s win earlier in the three-day fixture, means the syndicate doubled its tally for the meeting and underlined its knack for timing a horse’s preparation to peak when the sport’s spotlight burns brightest.

Fehily, who retired from the saddle in 2020, admitted that steering a runner to Aintree’s spring spectacular is never straightforward. “Getting a horse qualified and healthy for this week is a puzzle every year,” he said. “But the lads were clear from day one: Mr Hope Street was named for this place, and they wanted him on the card when the stands are packed and the world’s watching. To see him do it is special for everyone involved.”

The Liverpool brothers, whose family have long supported racing at both Haydock and Aintree, bought into the colt as yearlings and watched him develop through the grades. Syndicate members spoke of trips to the gallops before dawn, updates on WhatsApp, and a collective conviction that the horse’s cruising speed and relaxed temperament could handle the unique test of the Aintree obstacles.

Their faith was rewarded in the two-mile-five handicap that precedes the feature race, Mr Hope Street travelling with conspicuous ease under a patient ride before quickening clear after the last to seal a victory that means as much for its local back-story as for the betting ring.

With the syndicate’s roster now boasting two winners from the 2024 meeting, Fehily insists the group will keep aiming high. “Cheltenham and Aintree are the markers we set ourselves every season,” he said. “We’ll enjoy tonight, but the planning for next year starts tomorrow.”

For the brothers from Liverpool, tomorrow can wait. A horse named for one of their city’s most famous thoroughfares has delivered on the sport’s most famous thoroughfare, and the cheers that greeted the winner’s return to the unsaddling enclosure were as much for a promise kept as for a race won.