Cheltenham Friday
GORDON Elliott and Jack Kennedy stole the show at Cheltenham on Friday, with Cosmos D’Ainay winning the two-and-a-half-mile novices’ hurdle at 12/1 while, two hours earlier, they landed the two-mile novices’ chase with Bowensonfire (1/1).
Bowensonfire defeated Ben Haslam’s Passing Diamond by almost two lengths in the novice chase. Despite a mixed round of jumping, Kennedy kept the winner in touch with the pace-setting Passing Diamond before improving on the outer approaching three out.
He typically went out to his right at the second-last, was ridden before the last and led inside the final 110 yards to win cosily.
Bowensonfire had the benefit of three previous chase runs and was receiving 8lb from Passing Diamond, so the performance needs to be taken in perspective. Even so, he travelled comfortably, showed he had enough pace for a two miles on yielding ground around this challenging track, and found what was required to settle matters up the hill.
This performance should be seen as a dress rehearsal for the Grand Annual next spring rather than the Arkle, which is probably pushing the envelope.
The winner’s tendency to adjust right at his fences is a concern, particularly as he steps up in class, but he will be qualified for Festival handicaps come the spring and will have options here in March. He can clearly cope with an easy two miles over fences but an intermediate trip won’t prove beyond him, while his hurdle record suggests that a strongly-run handicap should suit in this sphere.
Elliott said: “On ratings he was entitled to do it, but Jack gave him a beautiful ride. He said he slipped going into the first, and that he lost his confidence a bit, but he got into it nicely and got the job done.
“I was a bit worried whether he would go by him as he was jumping a bit right, and he didn’t jump great today, but Jack being Jack is different class and he did a great job.
“We had him in a beginners’ chase last time, but we decided to go for the Grade 3; he is getting that experience now which is good. I think big fields he loves, and passing horses, so he is a horse that could suit a Grand Annual.”
KINGOFTHEFRONTIER (John Dawson/Conor O’Farrell) sprang a 20/1 surprise in the Grade 2 Sharp Novices’ Hurdle, coming from the rear to beat Planters Punch (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville) by two and a quarter lengths.
Favourite Cooltobecareless (Dan/Harry Skelton) was half a length farther back in an informative contest.
The winner ultimately won comfortably to build on the promise shown when winning a maiden at Southwell in the summer and he is arguably open to more progress than those he beat, with this being just his third run over hurdles.
Trainer John Dawson, a former amateur rider, was saddling his first winner at Cheltenham, but has made a most promising start to his training career and looks a name to take seriously.
Of the beaten horses, Planters Punch travelled prominently, led narrowly at the last and rallied after being headed. As a four-year-old graduating from the Junior Hurdle programme, he ran an encouraging race and remains open to improvement.
Cooltobecareless travelled best of all but compromised his effort by hanging badly right and he will be difficult to support at short prices until proving more tractable.
JPR One (Joe Tizzard/Brendan Powell) produced a high-class weight-carrying performance to land the two-mile handicap chase from Traprain Law (Lucinda Russell & Michael Scudamore/Lucas Murphy), winning by three-quarters of a length, with Soul Icon (Kieran Burke/Adam Wedge) third.
Racing from a mark of 158 and conceding at least 10 lb to the rest of the field, the 3/1 joint-favourite had little margin for error, but he was able to see off his rivals in a time marginally faster than standard. The bare winning distance understates the merit of the effort, and his record when fresh remains a significant asset.
This also underlined the excellent form of Joe Tizzard’s team. The yard had sent out four winners at Ffos Las on Thursday — Fairy Park, Spanish Stroll, The Walk and Diamond Ri — all ridden by Brendan Powell, so JPR One extended a notable run for the trainer-and-jockey partnership. The winner is likely to be forced into Graded company again after this stylish win, but has done Tizzard and owner John Romans proud, and owes connections nothing.
CIAN Collins burst on to the scene when Jazzy Matty won the 2025 Grand Annual Chase here and the Navan-based trainer was again on the mark at Prestbury Park on Friday when Brandt took the amateur riders’ handicap chase under Jamie Scallan.
The 10/1 shot was never too far off the pace set by the well-backed Better Off Alone (Martin Keighley/Sean O’Connor) and Brandt had to dig deep to get the better of the favourite on the run-in, eventually scoring by a length and a half.
Brandt had previously won a handicap chase at the Galway September meeting, defeating Justatan by a neck, the pair well clear of the rest.
The first race of Cheltenham’s new season, a handicap hurdle, saw a locally-trained success as Frontier Prince (10/1) got up on the line to score by a short-head from East India Express (12/1)/
For the winning trainer, Fergal O’Brien, it was a 50th success at the track. Successful jockey Jack Hogan was partnering his first Cheltenham winner.
Another jockey to enjoy a first Cheltenham success on Friday was Harry Atkins, who partnered Continuance (6/1) to an all-the-way victory in the conditional jockeys handicap hurdle over an extended two miles.
Trained close to Cheltenham by Martin Keighley, the five-year-old jumped superbly throughout and pulled away from his pursuers after the last to win by four and a half lengths.