Sandown Saturday
Bet365 Gold Cup
IN accepting his champion jump jockey title before racing on Friday, Sean Bowen paid tribute to Olly Murphy, and it was appropriate that he should end the season riding a big race winner for Murphy when Resplendent Grey landed the Bet365 on Saturday.
The grey raced idly when fourth in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham, and Murphy fitted him with cheekpieces for the first time, enabling him to travel more comfortably and he was never far off the pace set by Monbeg Genius.
Switched to the outside in the straight, the 9/2 shot picked up strongly to beat Lombron (Willie Mullins/Rachael Blackmore) in a race where Mullins saddled all the placed horses, but narrowly failed to land the main prize.
Winning trainer Olly Murphy said: “That was special. Obviously, Sean was crowned champion jockey earlier today and we have had the most phenomenal year – that’s 141 winners now for the season at a 25% strike rate.
“My team at home have done an unbelievable job all year. We haven’t been around very long and have made a lot of mistakes, but we have a brilliant team of owners and a brilliant jockey. I am very well-supported.
“We rode him differently today to Cheltenham. He got an exhibition ride from Sean and the cheekpieces helped him. He came home strongly and that was a good way to win a big one.”
Unassailable lead
In the end, Mullins didn’t need to win the Bet365 Gold Cup to earn the champion trainer’s mantle, with results earlier on the card meaning he had built an unassailable lead over Dan Skelton.
Yet, fielding 10 in a field of 19 was a strong insurance policy, and Lombron, High Class Hero and Spanish Harlem all earned their corn, and a share of the sponsor’s money by chasing Resplendent Grey home.
Mullins went on to complete a treble on the card when Jump Allen (Harry Cobden) landed the concluding handicap hurdle.
Mullins said: “The last few weeks have been tough, and they must have been tough for Dan too. That’s the way things go. I am very happy for all our connections and owners, who once again have supported us with their horses.
“I am very happy to have won the title for the second time this year, but I am not making any predictions for next season, and we still have a week of the season to go in Ireland. I am going home now to get ready for next week.”
Bowen crowned
As for Sean Bowen, he had time to gather his thoughts in a pre-arranged interview, given it was known he would be crowned champion before the Finale. Speaking on a Zoom call organised by Great British Racing, Bowen said: “It is something you dream of as a kid. When you are racing ponies up the gallops, you dream of being A.P. McCoy, Richard Johnson and Brian Hughes. I can’t quite believe it’s now going to be me.
“You want to be a jockey and then to be champion jockey – that is the dream. Davy Russell and Brian Hughes were both idols, as they ride so stylishly. Jamie Moore and Tom O’Brien used to ride a lot for dad. Going racing, I used to hear them talk about horses after races and I learnt so much from them.
“I am proud of being from Wales. It’s not only me – four of the top 10 jockeys are actually Welsh. Myself, James, Jack Tudor and Ben Jones. It is really good going for us all to be in the top 10.
“Wales produces so many good jockeys and we are punching way above our weight and also with trainers like Rebecca Curtis winning the Irish Grand National on Monday. For such a small country, we are doing pretty well.
“It all starts with my parents,” Bowen continued. “They have been my biggest supporters. Family is massive. We all get on really, really well and are all part of it. We are all striving for the same thing.
“Mum and dad have been kept busy over the last 20 years or so and it’s nice Mickey will be taking over the training licence come the new season.”
Bet365 Celebration Chase
(Grade 1)
IN the day’s Grade 1 feature, Il Etait Temps (Willie/Danny Mullins) formally secured the title for his trainer with a brilliant display on the back of a year’s absence, picking up from where he left off at the end of a progressive novice season to score at odds of 9/2.
Beaten by Gaelic Warrior in the Arkle last year, Il Etait Temps won three other Grade 1 chases as a novice, including when exacting his revenge over the Arkle winner at Punchestown, but he had been sidelined with a knee injury which saw him miss almost all of the latest season.
Despite that, he looked better than ever, particularly in his jumping, as he swept past Jonbon (Nicky Henderson/Mark Walsh) between the final two fences and won going away by five and a half lengths, with stablemate Energumene (Paul Townend) beaten a total of 15 lengths into third.
Mullins joked afterwards: “He is a smart horse, but my nephew is in for it again – he never follows my instructions! I said go easy and get some place money and he goes and wins it!
“I did not expect that performance, I was hoping he might be placed and finish sound. To do what he did was one of the moments of the whole year.
“He looks top-class and that’s his fourth or fifth Grade 1 and he’s not a big chasing type – next to Jonbon it would be like father and son. But he can jump, is athletic and he stays. He is also by a good sire in Jukebox Jury.”
Bet365 Oaksey Chase (Grade 2)
GAELIC Warrior (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) set the tone for the final day of the season when providing the first leg of a treble for the champion trainer in the Grade 2 Oaksey Chase for which he was a warm 5/6 favourite.
The race proved a simple task for the favourite when main danger Pic d’Orhy made a mad early mistake from which he couldn’t recover, leaving Gaelic Warrior to saunter home five lengths clear of stablemate Appreciate It (Sean O’Keeffe) with Ga Law (Jamie Snowden/Gavin Sheehan) returning to form in blinkers in third, a neck behind the runner-up.
“I didn’t mind the ground or the trip today,” said Mullins. “It was just whether he’d recovered from his last race at Aintree.
“I think Punchestown will come too soon, and we have an open mind about him and will look maybe at stepping up for the King Geroge. There are lots of options open to him.”
Bet365 Select Hurdle
The Grade 2 Select Hurdle proved an intriguing affair, with Harry Cobden making the running on Blueking d’Oroux (Paul Nicholls) and gradually turning the screw in the straight to repel all challengers.
His mount proved very game, producing another bold leap at the last and digging very deep to hold the sustained challenge of old rival Salver (Gary and Josh Moore/Caoilin Quinn) to score by a head, with Kitzbuhel (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) beaten less than a length in third having raced in contrasting style to Aintree. He was too free there, but settled well in a hood here, only to get outpaced when the winner kicked initially.