Tag Archive for: Great Yorkshire Chase

Annual Invictus clings on for Great Yorkshire honours

Chris and Freddie Gordon combined for a memorable family success as the latter’s buccaneering ride aboard Annual Invictus paid off in a pulsating renewal of the SBK Great Yorkshire Chase.

A quality field of 18 runners went to post for the prestigious Doncaster handicap, with Annual Invictus a 16-1 shot under his 18-year-old rider.

The 5lb claimer took the bull by the horns from the off, sending his mount into the lead from flag-fall and setting a gallop that saw many of his rivals struggling a long way from home.

Annual Invictus led those still in contention into the home straight and looked in command until Ben Godfrey arrived late on the scene aboard recent course-and-distance scorer Forward Plan.

It looked for all the world as though Godfrey had timed his challenge perfectly and supporters of Annual Invictus were set for a heartbreaking last-gasp defeat, but the Gordon runner had other ideas and roared back once challenge to ensure the pair passed the line almost as one.

Following a brief wait, the judge confirmed Annual Invictus had won the day by a nose, with Charlie Uberalles best of the rest in third.

“That was brilliant, I’m thrilled for everyone including the owner Tom (Smith), who is my farrier,” said the winning trainer.

“He’s happier out in front and it’s not very often you can get a soft lead like that. He’s not the quickest horse in the world but he carries on a good gallop.

“I thought the other horse had got us but we scrapped back. It’s lovely and it looks like we’ve turned the corner in the yard.

“It’s very special with my son on board. He’s a conditional with Nicky Henderson and he’s loving it down there.

“My plan was to get him in the Grand National, so I’d like to see him go up. But there are some wonderful staying chases, he stays well and gallops and goes on top of the ground.”

Freddie Gordon said: “That was amazing. My old man said to try to just pop out and go on your own. So I thought I’d go out there and do it.

“When the other horse came to me, I was just hoping he had a bit left in the tank and I think he kept his head in front the whole time. As soon as he gets a bit of company he keeps going, it gives him a bit more encouragement.

“It’s some day. It’s lovely to do it for my dad. I’ll thank him when I get home later, we’ll have a nice dinner together.”

Godfrey was disappointed to beaten aboard Forward Plan, but not with his partner’s performance.

He said: “My lad has lost nothing in defeat and has ran a cracker.

“I thought the other horse was going to drop back, I was staying on and was trying to save every bit I could. I thought I’d got my head in front and thought I’d got my timings bang-on, but the other horse has battled back hard and just got up on the line.

“My lad has lost nothing in defeat, but seconds don’t quite count as winners, do they? He’s in the form of his life and he’s a very fun horse to go to war with in these type of races.”



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Famous Bridge given Great Yorkshire Chase as an option

Ground conditions at Doncaster are likely to dictate whether Famous Bridge is rerouted to Saturday’s Great Yorkshire Chase after the weather scuppered his planned return to Haydock last weekend.

The eight-year-old, who runs in the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings, has won his last two starts over fences at the latter venue, most recently landing the Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase pre-Christmas.

He was due to bid for a hat-trick on Merseyside in Saturday’s Peter Marsh Chase, but the abandonment of Haydock’s card has forced trainer Nicky Richards back to the drawing board.

When asked whether it was the plan to run Famous Bridge in the Great Yorkshire Chase, the Greystoke handler said: “It is and it isn’t. Mick (Meagher, racing manager) said to put him in, so we confirmed him, but we’ll just be keeping an eye on the ground. If it’s windy and dry all week and it’s edging towards good ground, I’m not quite sure what we’ll be thinking.

“He’s in grand form and it’s a shame Saturday was off (at Haydock). I don’t know why they couldn’t reschedule for Sunday, but I suppose in the circumstances that wouldn’t have been very pleasant either.

“A bit of good to soft ground wouldn’t bother him. I wouldn’t like to pigeon-hole him and say he’s just a Haydock horse or anything like that. He’s won two around Wetherby, he’s won at Kelso and Ayr – this horse would go around anywhere.

“He’s just a proper National Hunt horse, a fairly big boy and a strong horse, so we’ll just keep an eye on the weather and the ground and see where we are later in the week.”

Richards – whose yard was feeling the effects of Storm Isha on Monday, being without power for large parts of the day – has also confirmed Universal Folly, who has won three times and finished second on four occasions from only eight chase starts, and the trainer feels a sound surface may bring him into the equation off a light weight.

He added: “His owner is away on holiday, he’s in Barbados, I think, and I think I woke him up this morning when I gave him a call and asked him what he thought about entering for Doncaster.

“There is also the Edinburgh Grand National at Musselburgh for him and if it’s softer ground at Doncaster, the Musselburgh race might not be as strong, so we’ll just see what the weather does.

“If it’s a windy, dry week, I know it will take a lot of winning the Great Yorkshire, but it might take a bit less winning if it’s on good ground as a lot of other trainers might be thinking like we’re thinking with Famous Bridge.

“We’ll just see how the week pans out, but he’s in grand form as well and is ready to run somewhere.”

The Richards pair are among 27 horses still in the mix for the £100,000 contest, with the weights headed by Jamie Snowden’s Ga Law, who looked the likely winner when falling at the final fence 12 months ago.

Snowden could also saddle Git Maker, while ante-post favourite Victtorino is set to represent Ventia Williams following back-to-back wins at Ascot.

Other hopefuls include Anthony Honeyball’s Forward Plan and the Nicky Henderson-trained Mister Coffey, who finished first and second over the course and distance last month, and the improving Surrey Quest from Toby Lawes’ stable.

The only remaining Irish contender is the Emmet Mullins-trained Sweet Will.



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