Randox Topham Handicap Chase
THE Topham Chase was dominated by the market leaders, with the first four home filling the same spots in the market. It also saw Cheltenham form franked, with Will The Wise (Gavin Cromwell/Conor Stone-Walsh) reversing Festival Plate form with Madara (Dan/Harry Skelton) to win at 9/1. Ile Atlantique (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) finished well to split that pair at the line, with the margins a length and a quarter and the same.
Trainer and jockey team up again in the Grand National with Festival winner Final Orders and will hope that this success is a good omen, while Cromwell suggested that Will The Wise might be a Grand National horse himself next year.
The 19-year-old Stone-Walsh said of Will The Wise: “He jumped from fence to fence, filled himself after the Canal Turn - he wasn’t for stopping up the straight. It was some feeling.”
Cromwell added: “He’s a very simple, straightforward horse to train - he’s a pleasure to have. I wouldn’t rule out him running in the Grand National in the future. He’s won over three miles over hurdles and that sort of horse can generally stay further. He’s a young horse as well.”
Another up-and-coming young Irish jump jockey, Paddy O’Brien, was in the winner’s circle following the closing race of the day, a handicap hurdle for conditional and amateur riders.
Riding top weight Laafi (20/1) for owner-trainer Bill Durkan, O’Brien was always prominent. They wore down Captain Ryan Matt after the last and then stayed on well to hold off Melon and the favourite Harry Lowes by a neck and a length and a half.
O’Neills strike again
Wellington Arch (Jonjo & A J O’Neill) won the opening handicap hurdle on this card 12 months ago on the back of a narrow defeat at Uttoxeter and having won the same Uttoxeter race this time round, he followed up despite a sloppy round of jumping to win at odds of 6/1.
The son of Blue Bresil kicked a couple of flights out of the ground but barely seemed to notice and ran on strongly to continue his yard’s good run of form as the season draws to a close. Ike Sport (Neil Mulholland/Harry Atkins) and Favour And Fortune (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) followed the winner home.
JCB Melling Chase (Grade 1)
ON a day that had a downbeat feel, it was encouraging to see Grey Dawning (Dan & Harry Skelton) and Solness (Joseph O’Brien/J J Slevin) get the crowd cheering as the pair served up the finish of the week in the Grade 1 JCB Melling Chase.
Disputing the lead from the start and typically proving hard to pass, Solness eventually had to give second-best to the smooth-travelling winner. The winner was very weak in the market and, having been made 6/4 joint-favourite with Heart Wood after declarations, he was sent off at an SP of 5/1, but proved the adage that drifters can still win as the Gold Cup fourth scored all-out by a neck.
Solness and Gidleigh Park set a strong pace which suited the proven stamina of Grey Dawning, whereas Slevin on the runner-up would have preferred a soft lead to allow himself a breather. That luxury could not be afforded to him, as no sooner had he seen off the challenge of Gidleigh Park that he had Grey Dawning looming in his wing-mirrors. To his credit, Solness dug in bravely and, landing running over the final fence, looked like he might rally to win, but despite his best efforts, he just failed.
“I was always going to come to this,” Skelton said, explaining why the horse was not declared for the Grade 1 Racing Welfare Bowl on Thursday.
“What we were doing we were doing well, but we weren’t quite winning so we had to change things. We turned for home in a Gold Cup second and couldn’t quite win it, and we felt dropping back in trip was the right thing to do.”
Oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
THE Sefton Novices’ Hurdle saw the formlines of the Albert Bartlett and Turners at Cheltenham clash and it was the form of shorter contest that was franked after Turners runner-up Zeus Power (Joseph O’Brien/J J Slevin) provided trainer and jockey with immediate compensation for the defeat of Solness with a gutsy win over Catchinsavo (Anthony Honeyball/Sam Twiston-Davies), with Albert Bartlett winner Johnny’s Jury (Jamie Snowden/Jonathan Burke) third. The margins were almost three lengths and half a length.
Something of a surprise package when giving King Rasko Grey most to do at Cheltenham, Zeus Power showed that effort when a 50/1 outsider was no fluke, and although he lacked fluency at times, he looks a good prospect when learning to jump at speed.
William Hill Mildmay Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
THE Grade 1 Mildmay Novices’ Chase ended in tragic circumstances after winner Gold Dancer (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) went wrong shortly after crossing the line and could not be saved despite immediate veterinary treatment.
The race developed into a match between Gold Dancer and Regents Stroll (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) up the straight and the former went clear before the last only to land awkwardly. He seemed to recover from that mistake, rallying to pass the post almost five lengths clear, but Paul Townend quickly dismounted and it was clear that something was amiss with the 10/3 joint favourite.
Eddie O’Leary, representing owners Gigginstown House Stud said: “Unfortunately he broke his back and they had to put him down.
“Paul said he made one mistake but that he kept going to the line with no problem, it was only when he pulled up, he felt iffy. It was an unbelievable performance as he jumped brilliantly and just made that one little mistake.
“It is a hollow victory now for the poor horse as he didn’t deserve it.”
George springs surprise
ThatPrizeGuy Top Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
THERE was a surprise in the Grade 1 Top Novices’ Hurdle as 16/1 outsider Storming George (Neil King/Jack Quinlan) took advantage of the flop of favourite Sober Glory to give his trainer the first Grade 1 win of his career, while the jockey was doubling his Grade 1 tally having achieved his previous top-flight success at this meeting in 2019 aboard Kalashnikov. Storming George carried the colours of Peter Beadles, King’s main patron over many years, which made his victory all the sweeter.
Sober Glory helped set only a modest gallop by his standards and got outpaced by three rivals shortly after the third-last hurdle, and it was Storming George who found most from that point, leading between the last two flights and finding extra to score by two and three quarter lengths and one and three quarter lengths from Sinnatra (Dan/Harry Skelton) and Baron Noir (Alan King/Tom Bellamy).
To his credit, Sober Glory stayed on again at the line and would surely have been better suited by setting a stronger pace.