Cheltenham Saturday

Paddy Power Gold Cup

THE combination of Dan and Harry Skelton are always dangerous in the autumn and winter and landed the feature handicap of the meeting as Panic Attack landed the Paddy Power Gold Cup at odds of 6/1, beating well-backed favourite Vincenzo (Sam Thomas/Dylan Johnston) by five lengths, with the winner’s stablemate Hoe Joly Smole (Kielan Woods) third for good measure.

The winner is owned by Bryan Drew and had been in training with David Pipe, with whom she had won over hurdles and fences, but switched to Skelton before her return last winter and was producing a clear career best at the age of nine, quickening up to lead before the last (usual second last omitted) to win cleverly. This was a first win in the Paddy Power for the yard.

“To some degree these wins are satisfying, but I’m a paid professional,” said a sober Skelton. “And, as Roy Keane says, ‘I’m just doing my job’. When she missed the Plate in March, we made this race her target.

“We’ve been second in this a couple of times and, I remember with Spiritofthegames, I’ve never been more disappointed after a race. His owner, Norman Lake, was one of our first supporters and he died a couple of years ago.”

Skelton initially suggested Panic Attack’s next outing would be at Doncaster in the Yorkshire Silver Vase Mares’ Chase over Christmas, with the Mares’ Chase at the Festival her ultimate goal, but he has since announced that he’s considering a tilt at the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury on November 29th.

“Panic Attack is still in the Coral Gold Cup and I’m more than tempted,” said Skelton. “I said Doncaster after the Paddy Power and I still do think Doncaster, but if she comes bucking and squealing and says to us ‘let’s have a go’, then she’s a nine-year-old and isn’t going to be around for three more years.

“She’ll have a 4lb penalty and Harry won’t be able to ride her as he will be at Newcastle, so Tristan Durrell would ride.”

THE Grade 2 November Novices’ Chase (run as the Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial) has an illustrious roll of honour, which includes 2020 Arkle winner Put The Kettle On, and it was again a Henry de Bromhead benefit as the classy July Flower (Darragh O’Keeffe) maintained her unbeaten record over fences to lift the Grade 2 event.

Having scored impressively at Limerick on her previous appearance over fences, the six-year-old, fifth to Lossiemouth in the Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, looked a top-class recruit to the bigger obstacles.

In a race that concerned just the winner and market rival Be Aware (Dan/Harry Skelton) from some way out, July Flower jumped to the front at the final fence and was driven out to win by a length and a half, returning at an SP of 6/5.

Delighted

De Bromhead said: “It was a drop back in trip today, but she travelled nicely. She was good and I’m delighted. She loves it and she looks amazing.

“She is a gorgeous mare, and it was great that she did it. She has her skin like a seal at the moment. I’m delighted with that today.

“I didn’t think she was a two-miler until Limerick. I always thought she was two and a half miles to three, but the way she picked up at Limerick was incredible. We thought we would give it a go and try her back over two and she looked great.

“This was an Arkle trial, so we said we would come here and see if we had the pace and I thought she was really good. We will see what everyone wants to do, but I would imagine we would love to come back here.

“We could easily end up at Leopardstown at Christmas, as that would be the obvious one. It is probably no harm giving her another run in between now and the Arkle. I think over two miles you need that third run, but we will see as she was brilliant around there.”

Town’s four-timer

One Horse Town (Harry Derham/Paul O’Brien) ran out a ready winner of the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Stepping up to Grade 2 company having won with ease on his first three starts over hurdles, One Horse Town set out to make all the running and the 10/3 second-favourite jumped with alacrity, and sealed the race when main rival Precious Man (Dan/Harry Skelton) sprawled on landing at the last, having moved up to challenge between the final two flights.

The winning margin was three and three-quarter lengths, with Kate O’Riley (James Owen/Sean Bowen) back in third.

Harry Derham said: “He’s a proper juvenile. We’ve obviously had easy pickings for the last few races, but we said he deserved his chance in a bigger race. That was extremely satisfying. It will be on to Trials Day now.

“Paul is brilliant from the front. My parents own a bit of him and Jonathan Gregory, one of my biggest owners, is also in him so it’s a proper result.”

Cooper’s bumper double

The listed mares’ bumper which closed Saturday’s card saw victory falling to the Tom Cooper-trained Celestial Tune (Sean Bowen), who justified strong support to score as the 9/4 favourite, beating Shotgun Shirley (Lucy Wadham/Tom Cannon) by three lengths and Cooper, a shrewd operator in bumpers, added to that victory when Saint Clovis (Harry Cobden) won the bumper on Sunday, an open event also carrying listed status, at the generous odds of 12/1.

Cheltenham Sunday

Greatwood Handicap Hurdle

ALEXEI (Joe Tizzard/Brendan Powell) has started the season with a bang, following an excellent second in the Welsh Champion Hurdle with a win at Ascot, and he defied ground concerns to produce another career-best effort to land the valuable Greatwood Handicap Hurdle a fortnight on.

The five-year-old was sent off 100/30 favourite to repeat his Ascot heroics, and he showed he’s still improving by storming home six lengths ahead of Helnwein (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) having stalked the runner-up into the straight full of running.

Faivoir (Dan Skelton/Heidi Palin) was prominent from the off, but had no match for the winner from the final hurdle, finishing a further seven lengths back in third.

The win made it a meeting to remember for the Tizzard stable, coming after Triple Trade had won the two-mile handicap chase earlier on the card.

With Eldorado Allen scoring in veterans’ company on the opening day, Alexei’s win made it three from three for the stable at the prestigious fixture.

Tizzard said about Alexei: “I felt it was the best I had him, going into this. It was a step up again, but to get away like he did after the last was a proper performance.

“It’s quite nice to have a horse like him, we haven’t had a lot of two-mile hurdlers.

“I can’t even remember having a runner in the Greatwood and I hardly had any rides, so this is lovely.

“It just shows we can do it on both ends of the spectrum. We’ve had two cracking weekends with him. I’m minded that he’s done that twice in a fortnight, and on slower ground this time.

“I haven’t got a plan - my thinking was these two races and that’s where we’re at.

“Garth and Anne [Broome, of Brocade Racing] are the best owners you could wish for. Their string got a little bit quiet a few years ago, but they went in to buy again and they’re reaping the rewards, not just with me but for Hobbs and David Pipe.

“They deserve every success they get, because they’re the best possible people.”

Sands proves stamina

The feature handicap chase on Sunday at Prestbury Park was the Oddschecker Handicap Chase run over an extended three miles and three furlongs and here, victory went to Marble Sands (David Killahena and Graham McPherson) ridden by Kielan Woods, who had the unusual prep of a run on the flat at Goodwood last month.

The nine-year-old clearly had fitness on side, but he was showing previously untested stamina to win the marathon contest, moving up from the rear on the run to three out to lead early in the straight.

He went on to beat Fascile Mode (Tom Mullins/Gavin Sheehan) by four lengths with Protektorat (Dan/Harry Skelton) a brave third under top weight.

Marble Sands was providing his locally-based training partnership with a first winner at Cheltenham.

Exeter Monday

MONDAY saw the much-awaited chase debut of last year’s leading juvenile hurdler Lulamba (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville) at Exeter and, while low sun saw some of the fences in the Royal Oak, Heavitree ‘Chasing Excellence’ Beginners’ Chase bypassed for safety reasons, the strapping son of Nirvana Du Berlais impressed with how he jumped the eight remaining obstacles to beat Fingle Bridge by 10 lengths at odds of 2/5.

Nicky Henderson was full of praise for the four-year-old who “loves life” and, while suggesting he will get much further than two miles in time, is inclined to aim him at the Arkle in March, with a run in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown next month firmly on the cards for the most exciting prospect of his generation in the UK.

“It was all fairly smooth, I think,” said the winning jockey after the race. “I was one of the only ones who were a bit disappointed the fences were out down the back, but so be it.

“We came here to educate Lulamba and the more fences they jump in public, the better. He is fresh and well, and he wouldn’t blow out a candle there.

“He is not slow, but you can see from the way he jumps that he could definitely go further. He is very clean and makes a lovely shape over his fences. I think he is going to be a horse that will reward you in time by being patient and picking your battles well.

“They’ve gone a nice enough gallop today. We were still fairly well bunched turning in and then it was a bit more of a sprint for home. It’s lovely ground and the fences were lovely. I just wish there had been a more of them!”