Doncaster Saturday
William Hill Futurity Trophy (Group 1)
GIANT Sequoia (Aidan O’Brien/Dylan Browne McMonagle) bounced back from a disappointing National Stakes run to land the Group 1 Futurity Trophy over a mile on heavy ground. Sent off at 11/1, the Frankel colt travelled strongly behind the brisk pace set by stablemate Sergei Diaghilev, swept past favourite and eventual third Noble Exhibit (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) approaching the final furlong and drew three lengths clear of Gran Dia (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy), who stayed on to take second place.
The win was a record-extending 13th in the race for O’Brien and gave Browne McMonagle his first Group 1 winner for the Ballydoyle trainer.
O’Brien said: “We always thought he was a classic horse, a mile or a mile and a quarter would be no problem, but he could get a mile and a half.”
BENGAL Tiger (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) looked a class apart in the Listed William Hill Remembering Sue Wright Prospect Stakes. The 10/11 favourite was settled on the outside as Crystal Queen (Richard and Peter Fahey/William Buick) set the pace, moved to the front two furlongs out and quickened clear inside the final furlong to beat Hi Corbett Court (Paddy Twomey/William James Lee) by three and a half lengths, with Crystal Queen another three-quarters of a length away in third.
Bengal Tiger was building on his impressive 12-length romp in maiden company and the manner of his wins at six furlongs suggest that a longer trip will suit, as he again ground his rivals into submission rather than outsprinted them.
The No Nay Never colt had been rerouted after the Horris Hill at Newbury was abandoned and coped notably well with the heavy ground.
O’Brien said: “The last half a furlong he started to take off; he’s going to get seven easily and I’d say he’s a classic horse. It wasn’t his speed that won him it today, it was staying; the last furlong he was getting going.”
Cheltenham Saturday
SEANIECON (Jonjo and AJ O’Neill/Jonjo O’Neill Jr) justified 11/4 favouritism in a 19-runner Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle over three miles, staying on to beat Gold For Alec (Tom Symonds/Caoilin Quinn) by a length and a quarter, with Kitty Foyle (Daisy Hitchins/Robbie David) a neck away in third.
The third appeared to hang away a winning chance, but the winner is an unexposed five-year-old who is the type to keep progressing and is an exciting prospect.
The Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival is the obvious aim now for Seaniecon, with the assessor raising his mark 6lb to 133, which looks fair given the scope this youngster has to progress at three miles, while he has the pedigree and physique to suggest he will do at least as well over fences next season.
STEPPED up to a staying trip for the first time, Here Comes Georgie (Dan Skelton/Harry Skelton) made a winning stable debut at 3/1 in this £100k William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Chase, beating Katate Dori (Sam Thomas/Dylan Johnston) by a length and a quarter, with Karnaval Point (David Pipe/Rian Corcoran) three-quarters of a length back in third.
Bought for just £7,000, he was produced to hit the front at the last and found more when pressed on the run-in; this win took Skelton past £1 million in prize money for the season faster than any previous National Hunt trainer.
Asked about stepping up to the three-mile, one-furlong trip, Harry Skelton said: “He was either going to stay, or he wasn’t. He is by Geordieland out of a King’s Theatre mare, so I thought on paper he would stay.” The Coral Gold Cup at Newbury could be next up, with Skelton keen to maximise earnings from his new recruit.
Shore completes Skelton double
North Shore gave the Skelton brothers their second winner of the afternoon in the Masterson Holdings Hurdle, making all the running at 11/4 and holding off market leader Indian River (Adrian Keatley/Brian Hughes) by seven lengths, with One Horse Town (Harry Derham/Paul O’Brien) third.
The four-year-old had failed to fire on his stable debut in the Persian War at Chepstow, but dropping back to an extended two miles and wearing cheek pieces for the first time coincided with a marked improvement, with the trainer inclined to point to an attitude adjustment for this success.
Skelton said: “North Shore didn’t try last time at Chepstow. I was a bit annoyed with him because his work had been very good. It might have been a little bit ambitious going over two and a half with a four-year-old but he definitely ‘towelled’ it. We put cheekpieces on today and were more forceful. He had a look at the wing going to the second and definitely has a bit going on between his ears, but he is clearly talented.”
Rest of the card
Butch Cassidy (Henry de Bromhead/Darragh O’Keeffe) is a promising young chaser and the Sue Magnier-owned six-year-old justified 2/1 favouritism in the Chasing Excellence Novices’ Chase by 14 lengths from Follow Your Luck (Patrick Neville/Brian Hughes), with Derryhassen Paddy (Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore/Derek Fox) third in a small but select field.
The winner put an impressive margin between himself and useful opposition over the extended three miles, which makes him a legitimate contender for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, for all there will be bigger tests to pass before the Festival.
Darragh O’Keeffe said: “I knew from the last to the winning line that would be my fella’s best kick - when you get gritty with him, he finds plenty for you. He’s been well placed and hopefully he can climb up the ranks.”
Successful debut
Woodstock Octo (Kayley Woollacott/Ben Jones) made a winning hurdles debut in the William Hill Novices’ Hurdle. Sent off at an SP of 9/2, the prolific point-to-pointer rallied to lead narrowly before the last and stayed on well to beat favourite Road To Wembley (Olly Murphy/Sean Bowen) by two and a quarter lengths.
Newbrook Diamond (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy) was a further length back in third after leading after the second last with Kashchei (Cian Collins/Carl Millar) disappointing in fourth.
Martin Keighley added to Friday’s success at his local track when landing the opening William Hill Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase with O’Moore Park (Sean Bowen). Having his second start for the stable, having failed to win in 13 starts over fences for Willie Mullins, the 25/1 shot showed that his new surroundings agree with him by beating Rockonliam (Henry de Bromhead/Darragh O’Keeffe) by a length and a half in the two-and-a-half-mile contest.