Newbury Saturday
HAITI Couleurs (Rebecca Curtis/Sean Bowen) completed his Gold Cup preparation with a comprehensive defeat of L’Homme Presse in the Grade 2 Denman Chase at Newbury last Saturday.
The 5/6 favourite took a little time to warm to his task but jumped better than the runner-up, particularly on the final circuit, and was always finding enough to win with a bit to spare, going clear to the tune of seven lengths at the line to underline his staying credentials.
The Gold Cup will be a much stiffer test, but Haiti Couleurs has maintained his gradual improvement as a chaser and will appreciate the extra yardage and stiff finish at Cheltenham.
Big test for Lulamba
The Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase is a race Nicky Henderson holds dear, and he has a habit of winning the contest with top-notch novice chasers. To Sprinter Sacre and Altior can now be added the name of Lulamba (Nico de Boinville), whose jumping improved as the race developed on his way to an ultimately impressive six-and-a-half-length win over Saint Segal (Jane Williams/Ciaran Gethings).
The five-year-old wasn’t fluent at a couple of fences on the first circuit, and briefly looked in a bit of trouble when de Boinville had to get after him before the home turn, but he’s tough as well as brilliant, and found all his jockey asked for and more as he powered through in the straight to win decisively to justify 4/11 favouritism.
The winner returned with a cut to his near-fore fetlock having apparently struck into himself during the race, but the wound seemed superficial and isn’t expected to be problematic.
“I really don’t think that’s Lulamba’s ground,” was Henderson’s immediate reaction. “Nico and I walked round this morning and we were happy to run, but I think he’s better on good ground. He didn’t need a race, but he needed that experience, and going with those older horses who will go a proper good gallop is where he’ll learn more.”
Top weight Tutti dazzles
The valuable William Hill Hurdle (once the Schweppes and more recently the Betfair Hurdle) looked wide open on Saturday, but Tutti Quanti (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) went to the front soon after the start and turned the race into a procession under top weight, winning by 15 lengths and 18 lengths from Wellington Arch and Faivoir and looking a horse with serious Grade 1 ambitions.
The well-backed 10/3 winner looked a class above his rivals on the day and was clipped into 16/1 with some firms for the Champion Hurdle, a race for which he currently lacks an entry.
Nicholls wasn’t in a rush to commit to the big race, but spoke to Nick Luck on his Racing TV show the following day, saying: “There are so many questions to answer on the race and around the horses not going. The great thing about supplementing him if we wanted to, we don’t have to do that until six days before and we can get a good idea of what the ground is going to be like.”
It’s worth noting that Tutti Quanti wasn’t the quickest horse over the two-mile trip on Saturday, with opening novice hurdle winner Sober Glory (Philip Hobbs and Johnson White/Harry Cobden) scoring by 27 lengths in a time almost three seconds faster than the big handicap, although the ground had deteriorated further by the time of Tutti Quanti’s win.
Nonetheless, this was a very impressive win gained in similar circumstances and Sober Glory has been well backed for the Supreme and is now no bigger than 12/1 for the Festival opener.
The listed bumper that concludes the Newbury card provided an early career-highlight for rookie trainer John Dawson, better known as the rider of Cheltenham Festival Hunter Chase winner Sine Nomine. Dawson saddled A Likeable Rogue (Brian Hughes), a 12/1 chance, and the son of Kingston Hill relished conditions to run out a nine-length winner from Get Out of My Way (Fergal O’Brien/Jack Hogan).
Warwick Saturday
STEEL Ally (Sam Thomas/Dylan Johnston) faced just two rivals in the Grade 2 Bet Smarter With Oddschecker Kingmaker Novices’ Chase and was able to coast to a 10-length win over outsider Mirabad (Dan Skelton/Tristan Durrell) after market rival Mambonumberfive was let down by his jumping at a crucial point.
He will now seek to emulate Edwardstone, who took this on the way to Arkle glory in 2022, although a Cheltenham bid may hinge on the weather, as Thomas explained.
“Steel Ally has an unbelievable will to win,” said the trainer. “The world is his oyster really. He has an entry in the Arkle at Cheltenham, but whether two miles on spring ground might be a bit sharp for him, we’ll have to see nearer the time.”
Cha Cha dances in
Hollygrove Cha Cha (Jamie Snowden/Gavin Sheehan) came in for a canny front-running ride in the Listed Warwick Mares’ Hurdle, with Sheehan’s decision to walk the course in its entirety enabling him to find the best of the ground and the 5/4 favourite never looked in trouble as she slammed market rival Jubilee Alpha (Paul Nicholls/Lorcan Williams) by three lengths.
Hollygrove Cha Cha was reverting to hurdling having had a mixed time over fences and appreciated the opportunity to dominate from the outset. She won’t go to Cheltenham with Snowden focused on maximising her chances in blacktype races.
Rest of the card
Conor O’Farrell partnered his 400th British winner when 5/1 chance Kingston Queen (David Pipe) won the Grade 2 Jane Seymour Mares’ Novices Hurdle by three-parts of a length from White Noise (Kim Bailey and Mat Nichols/Tom Bellamy), the race rearranged at short notice and falling - fortuitously - on Pipe’s birthday, adding to the celebrations. The two miles, three furlongs contest had been due to take place at Sandown’s abandoned Friday meeting, and the BHA’s quick rescheduling deserves some praise.
Around the tracks
THERE was a strong Irish contingent at Ayr on Tuesday, but despite runners from the Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott yards attracting pre-race attention, it was Cookstown handler Noel Kelly who stole the show with two winners on the card.
Kelly saddled the promising Apache Tribe (Oran McGill) to win the maiden hurdle at 4/6 from Gordon Elliott’s Nopresentliketime by 13 lengths and fuelling hopes that he could give Kelly a Cheltenham winner next month, with the son of Jukebox Jury holding an Albert Bartlett entry.
Kelly then doubled up as 8/1 shot Le Grand Vert landed the three-mile handicap chase on the card with McGill again doing the steering, as he had when the gelding won at Ayr last March from a 2lb higher mark.
Gordon Elliott was also on the scoresheet when Big Stage carried the trainer’s colours to victory in the two-mile handicap chase, winning by 12 lengths having been sent off favourite at 2/1.