Sandown Saturday
OLLY Murphy and Sean Bowen have been a formidable team this season, and teamed up again as Go Dante landed back-to-back Betfair Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle wins, thereby emulating Precious Boy, High Point and Secret Service as a dual winner of a race with a rich and storied history.
Go Dante had slipped to a generous mark after failing to trouble the judge on recent starts, and he bounced back to form in a race run to suit his stalking style, passing Afadil (Paul Nicholls/Freddie Gingell) on the run-in before denying the late surge of Wreckless Eric (Jonjo O’Neill/Kielan Woods), who edged out Afadil in a photo for second. The winner was returned at 6/1 and the margins were half a length and a short-head.
Ride of the day
As usual, Bowen was seen to maximum effect on the winner, but he didn’t earn ride-of-the-day plaudits this week, as Gavin Sheehan’s effort to get Laurens Bay (Jamie Snowden) up late in the EBF Final was extraordinary.
The 33/1 shot was in rear for much of the contest and seemingly happy to stay there, but Sheehan nursed him into the race as others began to fall away and, between the last two hurdles, it looked like he might just plug on for fifth or sixth.
Up ahead, there were three well-clear of the field at the last, with Meetmebythesea (Ben Pauling/Callum Pritchard) just winning a battle with longtime leader Malinificent, only to be pressed by Off The Jury (Alan King/David Maxwell) with half a furlong to run.
It looked like that pair had the finish between them, only for Laurens Bay to finally engage high gear and he flew up the hill, having been in a dispute of a fairly distant fifth at the final obstacle.
Sheehan admitted that he had considered pulling the winner up before the penultimate flight, before noticing that the leaders were beginning to come back to him. It’s just as well he continued, as his flying finish lit up an ordinary afternoon.
If Alan King was a little miffed to see the EBF Final snatched from his grasp in the dying strides, he quickly gained compensation when his Charisma Cat (Tom Cannon) landed the Listed EBF Mares’ Bumper, picking up well despite hitting a flat spot when the pace initially lifted, and coming home a length and a quarter ahead of Dream Shadow (Fergal O’Brien/Jonathan Burke).
The daughter of Nathaniel was justifying favouritism at 7/4 and is unlucky not to be unbeaten in four starts, having just failed to get up after a troubled run in the Alan Swinbank Mares’ Bumper at Market Rasen. She is likely to head to Aintree for the Nickel Coin Mares’ Bumper at the Grand National meeting.
Wolverhampton Saturday
THE opening two races at Wolverhampton on Saturday were quite classy affairs, which served to whet the appetite for the turf season, which begins in a fortnight.
Both races ended up going to the Horsewatchers, a syndicate set up by Timeform alumni Martin Dixon, Richard O’Brien and Matt Taylor and completed by Martin’s TV pundit brother, Chris.
All four could be described – not unkindly – as inveterate punters, so it can be imagined that landing a double on the Saturday before Cheltenham will have helped fill the coffers.
The first leg came in the Lincoln Trial itself, when Symbol Of Light (Julie Camacho/Jason Watson) just held on after Watson decided not to fight the free-going gelding and let him stride on after three furlongs.
He looked a sitting duck for the others, given his headstrong tendency, but to his credit he rallied well when joined by Farasi Lane (Jamie Insole and Dr Richard Newland/Hollie Doyle) a furlong out and showed a bit more resolution than that rival to prevail by a short-head at 7/1.
Royal Zabeel (Mick Appleby/Ali Rawlinson) then landed the Listed Lady Wulfruna Stakes by three-parts of a length from Witch Hunter (Richard Hannon/Jamie Spencer), racing in a handy position from the off and mastering leader Al Shabab Storm at the furlong pole, before comfortably holding the late run of the second to prevail at 11/2.
The double paid 51/1 for those who took the chance, and it’s hard to imagine the syndicate founders emerged without a little bit on at bigger odds.