Tag Archive for: Sandown

Charisma Cat pounces for Listed honours

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Charisma Cat looks to have booked her ticket to Aintree in the spring having regained the winning thread in the British Stallion Studs EBF Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race at Sandown.

A winner on her first two starts, she was somewhat unfortunate to lose her unbeaten record when upped to Listed level at Market Rasen in January, beaten a neck by David Pipe’s Kingston Queen.

However, given another chance in Listed company she confirmed form with Market Rasen third Dream Shadow to land the spoils as the 7-4 favourite.

Trainer Alan King now has his eye on the Grade Two Goffs Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race at the Grand National Festival, although he would not be averse to a run on the level in the summer.

“She is a little bit unlucky not to be unbeaten and it all went rotten for her leaving the back at Market Rasen and again round here she didn’t seem to handle the bend terribly well, but she’s come back on the bridle and I’m very happy,” said King.

“She wouldn’t want this ground really and it’s hard work out there. It’s just Sandown ground when it starts to dry and I said to Robert (Waley-Cohen, owner) before the race that if it wasn’t a Listed race I wouldn’t have run her, we’d have waited for Aintree. We got away with it.

“We’ve made up for Market Rasen today and we’ve got our win and black type and if we’re happy, we’ll go to Aintree.

“We’ve always loved her and she has a great pedigree – I would love a yard full of Nathaniel’s. We might run her on the Flat in the summer and she has a flattish pedigree. We’ll see and probably she won’t, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing to do.”

Neil Mulholland’s Narragansett (85-40 favourite) showed his quality earlier on the card to oblige favourite backers in the Betfair Racing Podcasts Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

Narragansett produced a likeable performance to win the opener
Narragansett produced a likeable performance to win the opener (Steven Paston/PA)

Considered good enough to be given a Triumph Hurdle entry by his handler, a big leap at the final flight of hurdles gave the youngster the momentum to wear down Gary and Josh Moore’s Galactic Charm and follow up a recent Plumpton success.

“He’s been really good and ran well first time at Market Rasen and was then maybe a little bit too keen at Wetherby, but we tried to hold on to him a little bit today and he did it well,” said Mulholland.

“He jumped well and has improved with racing, he’s done very little wrong, he’s now got two seconds and two wins and is going the right way. I know he needed a good jump at the last, but he got it and I was happy enough when he got there you know.

“He wouldn’t be good enough for the Triumph, so we would look at something like Aintree or Ayr and there’s a race at Ascot as well at the end of the month.”

Hoe Joly Smoke was another winning favourite on the afternoon and Dan Skelton’s 9-4 scorer appears set for a return to the Esher track on the final day of the season for the bet365 Gold Cup having landed the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase in the hands of the trainer’s brother Harry.

Skelton said: “We’ll definitely come back for the bet365 Gold Cup. I think he’s improving and I think everything about that race will suit him.

“Harry got off him and said go for the Scottish National, but I wouldn’t want him to go to Ayr and not run well when two weeks later he can come here and this track really suits him.

“He is still a novice over hurdles, so I’ve said to the owners next season we’ll have one run over hurdles and find the nicest chase we can, hopefully he is a progressive horse.”

The Skelton team were thwarted in their attempts for a double when Coco Mademoiselle lost out by just over a length to Charlie Longsdon’s New Order (7-1) in the Betfair Exchange Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, while the concluding betting.betfair.com Handicap Chase was won at a canter by Jim Boyle’s Classic Anthem who was sent off the 2-1 favourite.



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Go Dante returns to form for Imperial Cup repeat

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Go Dante produced a perfectly-timed run to repeat his victory of last year in the Betfair Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle at Sandown.

High Point was the last horse to win successive renewals of the two-mile feature in 1952 and ’53 and it looked as though Go Dante (6-1) was up against it as he had failed to figure in six starts since his victory 12 months ago.

Racing off a 2lb lower mark than last year, Olly Murphy’s charge travelled well throughout in the hands of Sean Bowen as Knickerbockerglory set out his stall early but was starting to feel his prior efforts at the penultimate obstacle.

That allowed Afadil to grab the initiative on the run to the final flight, but Bowen was stoking up Go Dante down the middle of the track and he kept finding for pressure.

Afadil was still in front a matter of strides from the line but Go Dante did not waver and claimed the £51,440 first prize by half a length.

Wreckless Eric finished with a flourish between horses to grab second, with Afadil third and Tintintin taking fourth, while favourite Bo Zenith never featured for trainer Nicky Henderson.

Go Dante (right) finished with a flourish at Sandown
Go Dante (right) finished with a flourish at Sandown (Steven Paston/PA)

Murphy said: “I’ve learned in a short period of time training you have to have a plan, especially for these bigger handicaps, and thankfully the plan today has paid off.

“I have to thank my team at home and he got a very good ride off Sean. I just feel like me and Sean are really working well as a team – he believes in me and I believe in him – and the last two Saturdays have been £100,000 handicaps that we’ve won together.

“He’s been running in these big handicaps all winter long and lost his mind at Ascot, but then ran a little better at Windsor and was in the process of running well in the old Betfair (William Hill Hurdle, Newbury) before nearly getting brought down.

“He’d slipped to a nice mark and I just thought he was starting to click and he loves this place. I was nervous about the ground otherwise I would have been very sweet on him, but he was fantastic.

“He stays very well over two and staying seems to have won him the race today and I think the ground is slower than anticipated. He was sharp and right for today and he’s picked up a big pot, it’s nice the plan has paid off.

A £100,000 bonus is on offer should Go Dante follow up in the William Hill County Hurdle at Cheltenham next week, but Murphy rates a quickfire return unlikely at present.

He said: “He’s had a hard race today, like he did last year, but I confirmed him today and I said to Barbara (Hester, Owner) that he won’t get in unless he was to win. We’ll have to see how he is, but I imagine he probably won’t run. Today was his main target and it is job done as far as I’m concerned.

“He’s been a star for us and he’s won two Imperial Cups and two huge handicaps, but you know what, I still thought he’d reach a higher level than what he’s reached. He was riddled with injuries as a younger horse and I have to thank my assistant who has done all the work and got him spot on for today.”

Go Dante (right) on his way to victory last year
Go Dante (right) on his way to victory last year (Steven Paston/PA)

Bowen said: “It’s an incredible bit of training from Olly and since his run in the Greatwood (at Cheltenham in November), the plan has been to come here today.

“He’s a horse who needs things to go his way and he loves a stiff track and the ground soft. I was more confident today than I was last year and he just went round in the race better, I always felt the winner whereas I didn’t last year.

“The ground was horrific last year and I’m not sure many horses love that, but this was just soft ground which he enjoys and it was a great performance.

“To have him ready for today was brilliant from Olly, but to be honest they haven’t missed a week all season. Fair play, it’s some effort to keep horses in such good nick for so long and hopefully he can keep doing that for the next few seasons.”

Bowen and Murphy’s partnership has reaped plenty of rewards this term, with the rider currently more than 20 winners ahead of his jockeys’ championship rival Harry Skelton.

He added: “It’s amazing really when you’re trying to go for a jockeys’ title and I’ve ridden over 80 winners for Olly this season which is an incredible amount for one yard. You need a yard like his to win a championship and thankfully we’re building numbers now.”



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Laurens Bay lunges to unlikely Sandown success

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Laurens Bay produced a remarkable finish to win the European Breeders’ Fund Betfair ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final at Sandown.

The Jamie Snowden-trained gelding had won one of his four previous hurdles, with the bookmakers rating him a 33-1 shot against the likes of 11-4 favourite Belliano.

It looked as though he was going to live up to that outsider’s price throughout much of the two-and-a-half-mile contest, racing way off the pace and with only a couple of rivals behind him turning for home.

However, as eventual placed runners Off The Jury and Meetmebythesea settled down to battle it out in front, Laurens Bay began to stay on from the back of the field.

He was barely in shot as the leaders jumped the final flight but responded to jockey Gavin Sheehan’s every urging on the run to the line, sprinting past runners to emerge on the scene with the winning post in sight.

Laurens Bay grabbed the lead in the final stride, edging a neck verdict over Off The Jury much to the delight of Snowden, who had been delayed by a flat tyre on his journey to the track and had to watch his charge’s incredible run on his phone before eventually making it to the racecourse.

“We’ve had a nightmare and a blow out on the passenger-side rear tyre on the M3 and there were traffic problems so I had to watch it in the car. It was a bit of a nightmare journey but it’s a brilliant result and that’s all that matters,” said Snowden.

“It was me who fixed the flat tyre and as a trainer you are dependent on the team around you and when I was stranded the guys did a wonderful job, they got the horse saddled and ready and here I am rushing in like a scruffy, dusty lunatic!

“It wasn’t exactly the plan to be so far back but he does stay well and he wants soft ground. We ran him at Ascot to qualify in January time and the ground was good and he was completely taken off his feet round Ascot on good ground.

“Today I was worried the ground was drying and the plan was to go forward but Gavin couldn’t really go forward and humoured him around and then hit the hill on the softer ground and has stayed on brilliantly.

“He’s going to be a lovely chaser for next year, he’s a lovely stamp of a horse. Chasing has always been our plan so we’ll enjoy today and he definitely wants softer ground, so I think he will be in the field before too long.”

Gavin Sheehan rode Laurens Bay
Gavin Sheehan rode Laurens Bay (Joe Giddens/PA)

Sheehan admitted he had thought about pulling up Laurens Bay at one point in the race.

He said: “I was flat out from the word go and never really comfortable and never really travelling. He jumped well to be fair and down the back he started to travel a bit smoother, but then they started to pick up after jumping the last down the back and going to two-out, I was actually thinking about pulling up.

“It wasn’t because he was tired, it was just because he wasn’t travelling, wasn’t happy and I thought the race was gone for me.

“I just kept persevering away and he started to get a bit more competitive and they started to come back in front, then he got a nice jump at the last and the line wasn’t coming quick enough for the ones in front and nearly a bit too quick for me.

“He’s a lovely horse to ride and you are thinking about pulling up because he will be an exciting chaser next season. He’s just come through and he’s probably done it well in the end and all credit to Jamie and his team.”



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Meetmebythesea and Kemble ready for round two at Sandown

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Meetmebythesea and The Kemble Brewery will do battle for the second time this season in the European Breeders’ Fund Betfair ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final at Sandown.

The JP McManus-owned Meetmebythesea is unbeaten in three starts under rules for Ben Pauling, with back-to-back wins at Ludlow followed by a determined success at Doncaster.

It was on his second visit to Ludlow that he inflicted a surprise defeat on the long odds-on favourite The Kemble Brewery, who had looked a smart prospect after winning two bumpers and two of his first three starts over hurdles.

With talented conditional Callum Pritchard keeping the ride on Meetmebythesea in Saturday’s £80,000 contest, Pauling is expecting another bold showing.

He said: “He’s a very nice horse, he’s done nothing wrong at all so far and goes there in very good order with himself.

“We hope the step up in trip will suit him. He certainly didn’t strike me as a two-miler at the start of the season.

“Callum has ridden him the last twice so the obvious thing was to leave him on. He’s done nothing wrong on him and it’s a nice opportunity for him on a big day.”

The Naunton Downs handler also saddles It’s Hard To Know and Followcato. The former won his first two hurdling starts before finishing down the field behind The New Lion in the Challow at Newbury.

Ben Pauling will saddle three runners in the EBF Final
Ben Pauling will saddle three runners in the EBF Final (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Pauling added: “It’s Hard To Know won a couple of novices and then found the Challow a bit too much for whatever reason – I don’t think he was quite right.

“But he’s been trained for this, I don’t think an opening mark of 124 is too harsh and hopefully he’ll go there and run a big race and get back to form.

“Followcato probably should have won a race by now – he doesn’t do much when he gets to the front. A better race like this will suit him because he’ll have a load of pace to aim at and he’s no back number. He gallops very well and is in particularly good order.”

While Meetmebythesea was sent to Doncaster following his second Ludlow strike, The Kemble Brewery’s connections have elected to keep their powder dry for this weekend’s valuable prize.

With a step up from two to two and a half miles expected to bring about further progress, joint-trainer Kim Bailey is in confident mood.

“He’ll run a very big race on Saturday, he’s in a very good place and has been trained for the race. It’s been his target for a while now, so fingers crossed he does it,” he said.

“He’s bred for three miles, so the step up in trip can only suit him, I think.”

On why The Kemble Brewery has not run since December, Bailey added: “He’s a baby and we had this planned after he got qualified and got his handicap mark, so it was going to be hard to find a suitable race for him to do both.”

Emma Lavelle is represented by George's Lad
Emma Lavelle is represented by George’s Lad (John Walton/PA)

Emma Lavelle runs George’s Lad and Silver Thorn. George’s Lad appeared to improve for a step up in trip when opening his account at Doncaster in January, while Silver Thorn was best of the rest behind leading Imperial Cup hope Belliano at Market Rasen a month ago.

Lavelle said: “George’s Lad definitely enjoyed that nicer ground up at Doncaster, his form is rock solid and he’s just been learning all the way through.

“I think he’s a nice horse, I really do, and I think he’s improving. It’s going to be a big day at school on Saturday with 18 runners but he’s a super horse we think a lot of and this was always the plan, so let’s see if we can pull it off.

“I really like Silver Thorn – he’s a real terrier and will stick his neck out and keep trying. He’s run some solid races this year, I think he’s in great form and we’ve put the tongue-tie on, just because he can occasionally gulp when he’s galloping, so hopefully that might eke a bit more out of him.

“He’s up for the fight, so I’m looking forward to seeing him run.”

The British Stallion Studs EBF Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race throws up a rematch between the Alan King-trained Charisma Cat and Fergal O’Brien’s Dream Shadow, who finished second and third respectively behind Kingston Queen in a Listed event at Market Rasen two months ago.

Charisma Cat won her first two starts and was unfortunate not to complete the hat-trick in Lincolnshire having found trouble in running before charging home to be beaten just a neck.

King said: “She should have a good chance. She just got shuffled back and didn’t really get into a good rhythm round Market Rasen.

“This track should suit her better on Saturday and I think she’s a pretty decent animal.”



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Willie Mullins looking to Batman to be Imperial superhero

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Batman Girac could serve up a tasty appetiser for Willie Mullins ahead of the Cheltenham Festival when he takes a swing at Saturday’s Betfair Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle at Sandown.

A legion of Closutton stars are poised for action next week, but long before Galopin Des Champs bids for a Cheltenham Gold Cup hat-trick, Mullins will saddle his first runner in the Imperial Cup since Wicklow Brave was pulled up in 2015.

Wicklow Brave went on to scoop the County Hurdle the following week and although Batman Girac is entered in that Prestbury Park event, the focus is firmly on the Esher track’s £100,000 feature event.

Willie Mullins was crowned champion trainer at Sandown last April
Willie Mullins was crowned champion trainer at Sandown last April (Steven Paston for The Jockey Club/PA)

“It’s a bit of a speculative run and he’s not been an easy horse in his career as he pulls so hard, but he was running an encouraging race with J J (Slevin) at the Dublin Racing Festival when he came down at the last,” said Anthony Bromley, racing manager to Batman Girac’s owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

“He might have run on into a place and we just felt the Imperial Cup offered a slightly easier chance than the County Hurdle and we would roll the dice and see how we got on. There’s not many two-mile handicap hurdles in Ireland, but two in a week here in England and of the two this felt the best option to try.

“The County looks much tougher and the prize-money on offer at Sandown is very attractive, so we have decided on this one rather than the County where it could be very difficult and he definitely wouldn’t be 10-1.

“It’s a bit speculative, but the horse is fine after his fall and fit and well and we will see how he gets on.”

Nicky Henderson is another looking for a boost ahead of Constitution Hill and Jonbon flying the flag for Seven Barrows at Cheltenham and he sends out the talented Bo Zenith, while 14-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls will be double-handed with Afadil and Sorceleur.

Go Dante (right) winning last year's Imperial Cup
Go Dante (right) winning last year’s Imperial Cup (Steven Paston/PA)

Defending champion Go Dante has dropped to a mark 2lb lower than his winning figure and although conditions could prove very different to the testing ground on which he thrived 12 months ago, trainer Olly Murphy is hoping the London air will revitalise his charge.

“He’s in very good form and has been trained for the race,” said Murphy.

“I would have loved a bit more rain around because the softer the ground the better he is, but it’s just the way it is and he handles good to soft.

“He just hasn’t reproduced his form from last year yet this season and he has actually disappointed me on a few occasions. He showed a little bit more at Newbury the last day and a little bit to a point at Windsor beforehand, but we have been hoping going to an old stomping ground in Sandown will suit.

“We’ve been kind of hanging our coat on the ground being very soft which it’s not, but he’s fit and well and off a nice mark. It looks a competitive race as always, but he couldn’t be in better form and I think he’s got a good each-way chance.”

Lump Sum is a consistent operator
Lump Sum is a consistent operator (Steven Paston/PA)

There is a £100,000 bonus on offer if the Imperial Cup winner can then follow up in any race at the Festival and one trainer who could go in search of that bounty is the in-form Sam Thomas.

Thomas, who rode Denman to Gold Cup glory during his time as a jockey, has been the man to follow in big Saturday handicaps of late and hopes his William Hill Hurdle runner-up Lump Sum can go one better than when bumping into Mares’ Hurdle-bound Joyeuse at Newbury.

He said: “He felt good before his last run at Newbury and ended up running well there carrying another big weight. This is another big ask but if he is in the same sort of form as Newbury, he should go well. We’ve had some big Saturday winners this season, but we have some lovely horses in the yard

“He does hold an entry in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham, but he started way back in October so he has had a long season. However, that will be a discussion we have with the boss (Dai Walters, owner) should he win on Saturday.

“He has got to carry a lot of weight on Saturday, which will make it hard, but it is great to have a horse to compete in races like this.”

Spirits Bay prior to action at Cheltenham
Spirits Bay prior to action at Cheltenham (David Davies/PA)

Others with claims include Ben Clarke’s Ooh Betty, who was third in Grade Two company at Ascot in January, and Jonjo and AJ O’Neill’s Wreckless Eric, while Nigel Twiston-Davies will saddle both Spirits Bay and Big Ginge, with the former facing a considerably easier task than his last assignment when up against Constitution Hill.

“I think he’s on the right side of the handicapper and the course will suit him with a stiff finish, he stayed on well up the Cheltenham hill in the Constitution Hill race,” said Willy Twiston-Davies, assistant to his father.

“He’s a decent horse in his own right and what we’ve been expecting of him he hasn’t probably shown yet, but he’s working well and he’s certainly a nice horse.

“We won’t be looking any further than Saturday and this has been the plan for quite a long time and the horse’s ability is definitely there, so I think he has a great chance.”



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Maxwell happy to throw Just Ennemi in at the deep end

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Owner-rider David Maxwell is looking forward to unleashing exciting French recruit Just Ennemi in the Betfair Imperial Cup at Sandown on Saturday.

A dual winner from three starts across the Channel, the five-year-old is set to make his debut for trainer Harry Derham in the traditional feature of the Saturday before the Cheltenham Festival.

The sponsors make Just Ennemi a 16-1 shot to strike gold in a £100,000 contest which also offers a further £100,000 bonus for the winner if they can follow up in any race at Prestbury Park next week.

Maxwell’s charge does not hold a Festival engagement, but the amateur jockey – who enjoyed a weekend double with winners at Doncaster and Auteuil – feels Just Ennemi could prove better than his opening handicap mark of 128 this weekend.

Amateur rider David Maxwell at Aintree
Amateur rider David Maxwell at Aintree (David Davies/The Jockey Club)

He said: “He is a very nice horse who Guy Petit found for me after he won an egg and spoon race in Argentan. I watched the replay and he was gormless for the first circuit and then suddenly went ‘oh it’s racing, I quite like racing actually’, and he bolted up.

“He was disappointing on his first run for me next time at Auteuil, but Dominique Bressou’s horses weren’t really firing at the time, and then he came back for what I thought would be a sighter in September before I brought him to the UK and he went and won – I couldn’t believe it.

“The plan initially was to keep it small for his first run over here. I actually told Harry to find a 0-130 at Market Rasen or somewhere like that, but I think he’s probably quite well treated off 128, so I thought maybe we should try and find a bigger handicap for him.

“The only thing is he’s a young horse who has only seen a racecourse three times, so a competitive handicap hurdle will be a big step up for him in terms of toughness of racing.

“But he’s strengthened up a good bit over the winter and we said we’d let him have a go at a proper race on decent ground, which I think we’re going to get in the Imperial Cup.

“He’s got 10st 9lb at the moment, which I’m not that excited about! I have done 10st 7lb in the past, but I’m 46 years old now and James Reveley doesn’t even do that weight, he was telling me!”

Lump Sum is a leading contender for the Imperial Cup at Sandown
Lump Sum is a leading contender for the Imperial Cup at Sandown (Steven Paston/PA)

Just Ennemi is one of 28 Imperial Cup contenders, with the Sam Thomas-trained potential top-weight Lump Sum Betfair’s 5-1 favourite.

Other leading hopes include Nicky Henderson’s Bo Zenith, Jonjo and A J O’Neill’s Wreckless Eric and Batman Girac, who could be a rare runner in the race for Willie Mullins.

The European Breeders’ Fund Betfair ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final is another big prize up for grabs on Saturday’s Sandown card, with Meetmebythesea on a four-timer for Ben Pauling.

The Kemble Brewery (Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls) and Belliano (Paul Nicholls) are two other major players, while Maxwell could be on board Off The Jury (Alan King), who ran out at Wetherby last week having previously been placed behind The New Lion and Mister Meggit.

“He hung like a gate at Wetherby and I knew what he was going to do when I turned off the home bend. He was edging his way out and I had two hands on the one rein at one stage to try and pull him in, but at some point you’ve got to move forward and the moment I did he decided to go out the side,” said Maxwell.

“He’s mercurial and we’ll see how he is before we make a final decision about running on Saturday, but he has ability and I think a big field and a strongly-run race will really help him.

“He just keeps running into one, so we might as well run him in something big.”



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Cha Cha made to fight for Sandown success

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Hollygrove Cha Cha had to dig deep to win the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Jane Seymour Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown.

Jamie Snowden’s five-year-old has been making good progress this term, building on her bumper promise to claim successive wide-margin hurdles victories at the end of last year.

She stepped up in grade and down in trip to contest the the Listed Byerley Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Taunton last time out, when second behind Paul Nicholls’ Jubilee Alpha.

She returned to two and a half miles at Sandown for the Grade Two Jane Seymour, a race her yard has successfully targeted before when winning it in both 2021 and 2023 with Anythingforlove and You Wear It Well respectively.

Under Gavin Sheehan Hollygrove Cha Cha was a 2-1 chance, and made all the running to turn for home with a sizeable lead and all four rivals behind her.

Fergal O’Brien’s That’ll Do Moss was unwilling to go down without a fight, however, but although she rallied to the line she could could not outrun Hollygrove Cha Cha who prevailed by a short head.

Hollygrove Cha Cha has been cut from 25-1 to 20-1 with Paddy Power for the two-mile-one Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, registered as the Dawn Run, and Sam Hoskins from ownership group Hot To Trot is tempted by the prospect.

“We’re over the moon with that today, she was very game and jumped well on the whole. She just got a bit lonely late on,” he said.

“She looked like she had the race in the bag from a long way out but it was obviously a proper stamina test today.

“We want to enjoy today but there’s another Grade Two race next month to look forward to, I’d say we’d have to head there (the Dawn Run).

“It’s our dream to have a runner at that meeting and we’ve never had one, she wouldn’t be there to make up the numbers either.

“On better ground she will probably jump better and we’ve got nothing to lose, she’s not short of toe and although she wasn’t quite quick enough for Taunton, Cheltenham over two miles is a lot stiffer.

“The Dawn Run is the obvious race to go for, I think she’d be doing her best work up that hill, she loves it and she’s got a great attitude. She’s a darling and Jamie’s doing a great job.”



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Snowden hoping Hollygrove Cha Cha can dance to Sandown success

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Jamie Snowden is confident Hollygrove Cha Cha can make her presence felt in the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Jane Seymour Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown on Thursday.

A dual bumper winner last season, the five-year-old also won her first two starts over hurdles before meeting with defeat for the first time when picking up the silver medal behind Jubilee Alpha in a Listed event at Taunton in late December.

Hollygrove Cha Cha steps up in trip and class for this two-and-a-half-mile Grade Two and Snowden believes she has plenty in her favour.

“She’s won four of her five starts and the only time she got beaten was in the Listed race over two miles round Taunton on good ground,” said the trainer.

“She picked up a bit of black type there, that will have sharpened her up and she’ll definitely improve for the step up in trip and slightly softer ground.

“She goes there with every chance.”

Nicky Henderson’s Holloway Queen is on a hat-trick after impressing at Lingfield and Haydock, while Willie Mullins – who won this prize a decade ago with Uranna – is this year represented by Mummy Derry, who makes her hurdling debut off the back of finishing second in a Listed bumper at Navan in November.

The small but select field is completed by Neil Mulholland’s Blue Las and the Fergal O’Brien-trained That’ll Do Moss, both of whom won decisively last time out.

Mulholland said: “Blue Las is an improving mare, obviously it’s a big step up in class but we’ve got to take the step up sometime.

“She should be fine on the ground and the trip should be fine. I know she got beat over two-and-a-half, but to be fair she galloped all the way to the line and it was first time out (for the season).

“We’re taking a step into the unknown, but it’s not a big field and it will be interesting to see how she goes.”

Of That’ll Do Moss, O’Brien added: “She deserves a crack at it, I think.

“We pitched her high in the Listed bumper at Cheltenham (in November) after a break and she won well at Ayr last time. I think it’s a good chance for her to get a bit of black type.

“Sandown is a funny place and you need to be tough and consistent. She’s a hardy mare and we’re looking forward to getting her out again.”



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Gunsight Ridge returns to form with gutsy Sandown success

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Gunsight Ridge thundered back to his best as Olly Murphy and owners Grahame and Diana Whateley enjoyed a double at Sandown on Saturday.

The 10-year-old has always been a more than handy performer on his day, but a late fall when staying on at Cheltenham in November left Murphy and his team clambering to restore confidence in their stable veteran.

Pulled-up at Kelso since, a return to Sandown – where he has some smart form figures – proved just the ticket, as he relished the deep conditions in Esher under a fine ride from Gavin Sheehan.

Sent off at 11-1, Gunsight Ridge returned a half-length verdict over the fast-finishing Dr T J Eckleburg, with 2-1 joint-favourites Etalon and Classic Maestro back in third and fourth.

Murphy said: “He’s always had ability and I have always thought he’d win a big handicap at Ascot or something, which he hasn’t done, but he’s been a good old horse and he loves heavy ground.

“Off his Cheltenham run, that wasn’t a surprise, but he just had a fright after Cheltenham the last day. We’ve done plenty of jumping with him and Laura Collett has seen him a bit.

“He’s tripless and he looks like he wants two-and-a-half the way he runs over two miles, then you run him over two-and-a-half and he looks like he doesn’t get home. But when he’s good, he can put in a good performance.”

Murphy had earlier saddled Diamonds For Luck (8-11 favourite) in the Whateley colours to follow up his December Wetherby win in the opening Virgin Bet Daily Extra Places Novices’ Hurdle.

The six-year-old, who is well-regarded by connections, could now have earnt himself a crack at a more valuable prize in the spring, having won in good style in the hands of Harry Cobden.

Diamonds For Luck impressed in the opener
Diamonds For Luck impressed in the opener (Steven Paston/PA)

“He’s a nice horse and it didn’t surprise me he’s won a couple now, he’s been improving with each run and he’s handled the very soft well there,” continued Murphy.

“He got beat in his first two starts, which is sometimes disappointing, but doesn’t have to be the worst thing in the world and he has since won at Wetherby and then won well today.

“We can maybe look at a bigger spring target now and come back here for the £100,000 final on the last day of the season, or maybe the boys’ race at Aintree, he’s certainly a horse we think is good enough to run in those types of races.”

On the double, Murphy added: “The Whateleys are good supporters of mine and want to be winning on Saturdays, they’re nice horses and it’s been a good day.”

Favourite backers also had plenty to cheer when Venetia Williams’ Sole Solution (3-1) gamely followed up a recent win at Hereford in the Virgin Bet Daily Price Boosts Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.

Red Dirt Road relished conditions at Sandown
Red Dirt Road relished conditions at Sandown (Steven Paston/PA)

Meanwhile, Jonjo and AJ O’Neill’s Red Dirt Road (13-2) picked up the £56,270 on offer to the winner of the Virgin Bet Heroes Handicap Hurdle.

O’Neill said: “It’s a nice pot to win and it’s for great owners who are very patient and leave it to you – and they’ve got a nice horse.

“He loves really soft ground and Jonjo (O’Neill Jr, jockey) said riding him on that felt like what good ground would be like for some horses.

“They were all stacking up turning in but then when they stretched a little bit to the second last, there was only two of them really going with a chance.

“There’s a nice race for him at Uttoxeter (on Midlands Grand National Day) and it is worth a few bob, so it would be a shame to see it go to someone else.”



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Handstands just fends off Jango Baie in Scilly Isles thriller

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Two promising youngsters fought out a thrilling finish to the Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown, with Handstands just getting the better of Jango Baie.

The pair had met at Huntingdon over hurdles last term and there was little to separate them then, but Jango Baie was slightly better off at the weights this time.

Handstands (100-30) had won two Grade Twos already over fences, proving he stayed three miles in early December before winning the rearranged Towton at Ffos Las.

Jango Baie had made a huge impression when prevailing on his chasing debut, though, and was sent off the 10-11 favourite for Nicky Henderson, to continue the trainer’s run of big-race wins.

But he could not get by the determined Handstands, who made almost every yard of the running.

Jango Baie briefly looked beaten before the Pond Fence, only for him to quickly come back on the bridle and appear the likely winner.

However, Handstands put that stamina to good use and when Ben Jones asked him for a big leap at the last, he delivered and that enabled him to hold on by a short head.

For the winning trainer Ben Pauling, it proved a real fillip coming in the same week that he was forced to rule stable star The Jukebox Man out for the season.

There was to be no fairytale win for Kalif Du Berlais, running in the colours of the late John Hales, with his stamina fading in the straight.

Handstands in full flow
Handstands in full flow (Steven Paston/PA)

Pauling said: “He is a proper horse and we’ve always known it, it is just unfortunate when we dipped our toe in at Grade One level at Cheltenham last year he was flat as a pancake, I knew that from the second he jumped off that day.

“He’s come out this season and fell at Wincanton on ground that was far too quick and has since not put a foot wrong.

“After he won at Ffos Las, I expected him to be exhausted, but he came out of that race fresher and better than all season.

“We beat Jango Baie in the Sidney Banks last season and he has run a brilliant race in defeat. To make a race, you need two horses and you have to commend Nicky’s horse for running such a race. It was a ding-dong battle and they will be two proper horses going forward.

“We don’t think our lad does much in front, so I wasn’t too worried when Nico (de Boinville, on Jango Baie) came alongside, but it was a proper battle. It was a ding-dong but I was always confident Ben would hold on.

“We’ve had a rubbish week with Jukebox but we’re just very fortunate to have two horses of the same calibre as novices – and hopefully Jukebox will be back as good as new next season.”

Handstands does not hold any entries for the Cheltenham Festival and Pauling is adamant he will resist the temptation to supplement the six-year-old for Prestbury Park and is instead eyeing a step back up to three miles at Aintree later in the spring.

Pauling added: “He will probably go to Aintree. We haven’t got him in at Cheltenham and I can assure you there is unlikely to be any chat of Cheltenham.

“The Radfords are brilliant people to train for and we’ve got a plan and we will stick to it. It doesn’t matter that Jukebox has gone, everything else will not shuffle around. This lad has his own schedule and that is what we will stick to.

“If he’s good enough next year, we’ll be at Cheltenham with bells on, it’s not that he doesn’t handle Cheltenham. It’s just I was determined to bring him here and I tried not to run at Ffos Las – it was Tim (Radford) who said if the horse was healthy to run him there.

Jockey Ben Jones celebrates aboard Handstands
Jockey Ben Jones celebrates aboard Handstands (Steven Paston/PA)

“We’ve managed to pull up two nice wins and it might be brave to then try and go to Cheltenham when Aintree could be beautifully timed.”

He went on: “This lad is only going to get better over further, he’s a proper stayer. But he’s got some speed as well and this is very good.”

For jockey Jones it continued his fine season in association with Pauling, adding a second Grade One to his tally having broken his top-level duck at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Jones said: “I don’t think this horse has had enough credit in his career and he’s still not the finished article. He’s raw and a big baby and it’s just exciting to see what he’s going to become.

“I got close to two out and Nico came alongside me, but I gave him an inch of rein and I’ve never experienced a horse take off and quicken the way he did. He’s got so much class and we’ve still not got to the bottom of him.

“It’s racing and there’s ups and downs all the time. I guess you could call him a super-sub for The Jukebox Man and to do what he did was impressive and I’m really happy.”

Trainer Nicky Henderson felt his charge lost little in defeat
Trainer Nicky Henderson felt his charge lost little in defeat (Steven Paston/PA)

Although losing out to Handstands for the second time, Henderson’s charge Jango Baie lost little in defeat, as his trainer now ponders his next move.

Henderson said: “He was great and has done nothing wrong at all. It wasn’t ideal out there but it was the same for all of them and when you get done a short head it’s six-of-one, half-a-dozen of the other.

“The next question is where to go next and I’m not convinced he wants to go up in trip, but I’m sure he would do better in better ground, but then that is the easiest thing to say after you have been beaten in that ground. He might be better on better ground, but he’s still jumped great and it’s only his second chase.

“He’s definitely a Grade One chaser, it’s just finding out what his trip is. If the Turners was there as a two-and-a-half mile chase, he would be there.

“The winner is waiting for three miles at Aintree and not going to Cheltenham, which is what we were thinking, so we will see.

“The owner has got Jingko Blue, who is going to go to the Reynoldstown, so we will see how he gets on there and if he stays that well, which he should do after Windsor, then we have two nice horses to play around with.”



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Pauling hoping for Handstands boost via Scilly success

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Handstands bids to end a difficult week on a high for trainer Ben Pauling in the Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown.

The Naunton Downs handler suffered a major blow on Tuesday when he announced that his stable star The Jukebox Man, a brilliant winner of the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, would miss the rest of the season due to injury.

While Handstands has not yet scaled those heights, he gets his shot at Grade One glory on Saturday following successive Grade Two wins in the Esher Novices’ Chase at Sandown and the rescheduled Towton Novices’ Chase at Ffos Las.

The six-year-old is rated lower than Nicky Henderson’s Jango Baie and the Paul Nicholls-trained Kalif Du Berlais, his two chief rivals in this weekend’s Esher feature, but Ben Pauling is confident his charge can make his presence felt.

“He’s in great order, he came out of Ffos Las brilliantly well and I couldn’t be any happier with him,” he said.

“There’s only four of us in it and four nice horses. Two of them are really particularly smart, but I think he’s earned his place and I probably wouldn’t swap him for anything, really.”

Handstands came home clear of a solitary rival at Ffos Las after the other four runners either fell or unseated their riders, but Pauling does not feel he was flattered.

He added: “You can only beat what’s in front of you and I may be proved wrong, but I would probably say that the reason everyone started falling like flies in the home straight was because he put the pressure on leaving the back straight and quickened again in the home straight.

“I think he deserves his chance at a big one and I can’t wait to see how he gets on.”

Jockey Ben Jones celebrates winning the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on The Jukebox Man
Jockey Ben Jones celebrates winning the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on The Jukebox Man (Steven Paston/The Jockey Club)

The trainer also provided a positive update on The Jukebox Man, who he hopes will return as good as ever later in the year.

He said: “Everything happens for a reason and his operation has gone well. He had his cast off today and they (vets) seem happy with his progress so far, so we’ll see how he is next week and probably get him home then.

“If all continues to go well, then he will be back in the autumn with everything to play for.”

Kalif Du Berlais would be a poignant winner of the Scilly Isles following the death of his part-owner John Hales, but it is Jango Baie who heads the market following an impressive start to his career over fences at Cheltenham in December.

Jango Baie clears the final fence at Cheltenham
Jango Baie clears the final fence at Cheltenham (David Davies/PA)

In his Unibet blog, Henderson said: “We are obviously quite pleased that connections have decided to run Impaire Et Passe at the Willie Mullins Racing Festival (Dublin Racing Festival), but that doesn’t detract from the quality of this race, because it’s an extremely competitive affair.

“Jango Baie is 5lb better off at the weights with Handstands on their running in the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon, when he was second, beaten a length and a half, but that was a year ago, and over hurdles, so there is probably nothing between them.

“I thought Kalif Du Berlais was impressive at Cheltenham and that form has worked out well subsequently.

“Our horse has entries in the Arkle and Brown Advisory and we’ll see what happens here before we even consider looking at Cheltenham, but he’s in very good form and I am extremely happy with him coming into this.”

Gary and Josh Moore’s outsider Mark Of Gold completes the field.



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Nicholls hoping Scilly Isles will point the way for Kalif Du Berlais

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Paul Nicholls feels stamina is the main question Kalif Du Berlais has to answer in Saturday’s Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown.

Another smart prospect owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, John Hales et al, after taking a heavy fall when long odds-on for his chasing debut at Carlisle, he has bounced back to win twice.

At Newbury he beat Tedley by three-quarters of a length, but then he had the same horse over 28 lengths behind him when scoring impressively at Cheltenham.

The runner-up that day, Vincenzo, has subsequently won a decent race at Sandown.

“He had a quiet couple of weeks since he won at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, he had a flu jab and he doesn’t need a whole heap of work,” said Nicholls on Racing TV.

“Natalie Parker rides him and is very happy, he did a great piece of work this morning.

“Will he get two and a half miles? That’s the question. Everybody who has anything to do with him thinks he will, but until he has proven that you just don’t know.”

Nicholls admitted that had Dan Skelton’s L’Eau Du Sud not been in the same ownership then he may have waited for next weekend’s Kingmaker Novices’ Chase over two miles.

He said: “If L’Eau Du Sud wasn’t in the same ownership he’d probably go to Warwick next weekend for the Kingmaker, so we didn’t have too many options to run him – it’s a £100,000 Grade One race with four runners so we’ll give it a go.

“Saturday will tell us where we go, there’s the Pendil at Kempton, if we took that in we might miss Cheltenham and go to Aintree with him. We look at the options and make a plan as the season goes on.”

Handstands, Jango Baie and Mark Of Gold form the opposition to the Nicholls runner.



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Sandown passes inspection for Saturday card

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Saturday’s meeting at Sandown will go ahead as originally planned after both the hurdles and chase tracks passed an inspection on Thursday morning.

Heavy rain earlier in the week had left the venue waterlogged in places, with the chase track rated in better shape than the hurdles course and a provisional six-race card over fences planned.

That stand-by card will not be required though, as clerk of the course Andrew Cooper found conditions to have improved with the hurdles track now fit for action and the ground reported to be heavy soft in places.

The feature event of the seven-race fixture is the Grade One Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase and the going over fences is rated slightly better as soft, heavy in places.

A statement from the track said: “Following an inspection this morning, the decision has been made to continue with our original seven-race programme on Saturday, including both hurdle and chase races.

“Whilst no further inspection is currently planned, we will continue to monitor the conditions over the next 48 hours and provide an update should it be necessary.”

Ahead of the Sandown fixture, the Esher venue has announced the reinstatement on a £100,000 bonus for any horse which wins the Betfair Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle before doubling up at the Cheltenham Festival.

The March 8 contest takes place just three days before the start of the Festival, with only three horses having won the prize when it was previously offered.

Olympian (1993 Coral Cup), Blowing Wind (1998 County Hurdle) and Gaspara (2007 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle) all hailed from the Nicholashayne yard in Somerset belonging to the Pipe family, with Martin Pipe saddling Olympian and Blowing Wind, while Gaspara was trained by his son and successor David.

The bonus would see the winning owner take home £60,000, with £20,000 to the winning trainer, £10,000 to the winning yard and £10,000 to the winning jockey – split in half if different jockeys ride at Sandown and Cheltenham.

Sarah Drabwell, Sandown’s general manager, said: “We are delighted to reintroduce the Imperial Cup bonus this year.

“We have seen some high-quality horses win the Imperial Cup and go on to take their place at the Festival just a few days later and we hope the same happens again in 2025.

“It would take a special horse to win the bonus but it has been done before and we hope it can be done again.”

Thursday’s card at Wincanton also got the go-ahead after a morning check.

An inspection was planned for 8am but officials were able to make an earlier call, with the ground described as heavy.



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Trainer interview boycott proposed for Sandown on Saturday called off

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Trainers will make themselves available for television interviews at Sandown Park on Saturday, after a proposed boycott was called off.

The boycott had been proposed by the Professional Racing Association, a body founded by Peter Savill – a long-standing racing figure and former chair of the British Horseracing Board which was the forerunner of the British Horseracing Authority.

Members of the PRA have asked for payments from media rights companies to allow access to its trainers on racedays, putting them in line with jockeys, who receive an annual group fee for TV input which is put towards their insurance scheme.

Savill has stressed “the money would not go to trainers personally – absolutely not”, and instead be used to aid “benevolent causes and the Injured Jockeys Fund, that need funding”.

The PRA claims to represent the interests of around 170 handlers and said in a statement on Monday: “Unless the racecourses and media companies resolve this particular issue by Saturday, the PRA trainer members will refrain from giving interviews at Sandown on Saturday.”

But the Thoroughbred Group, the body which represents the Racehorse Owners Association, the National Trainers Federation, the Professional Jockeys Association, the National Association of Stable Staff and the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, made it clear on Tuesday it did not support the action.

A subsequent PRA statement said: “The PRA has decided to call off the withdrawal of trainer interviews this Saturday to avoid further public conflict between two organisations that are fundamentally aligned.”

The Thoroughbred Group, which has been working on proposals for new commercial partnerships, had earlier pleaded for unity within racing.

It said: “The sport should be working together to ensure that everybody is remunerated fairly, and any increased contributions should not be helping to fund groups that sit outside of the sport’s governance structure.

“Thoroughbred Group members are confident that the Commercial Partnerships proposal that is currently being debated by the industry presents a more constructive blueprint for the growth of the sport.”

Louise Norman, chief executive of the ROA, said the action had generated “disruptive headlines” and that “the sport needs the media and broadcasting support, not a divisive demand that simply takes money for the administration of the PRA via a trainers’ commission”.

The PRA refuted that suggestion and insisted the boycott proposal had highlighted the issues within racing’s finances.

Its statement continued: “Trainers fully understand the positive effect that the media have on our sport and the insinuation that any trainer who supported the withdrawal of interviews might be letting the industry down was therefore disappointing.

“The publicity that this issue has attracted has highlighted one of the many inequalities in the distribution of racing’s finances.

“The main inequality though is the unfair distribution of racing revenue between horsemen and racecourses that filters down from the racecourse into prize-money. This is the PRA’s main concern, and we do not want the current issue to deflect from that focus.”

The PRA statement called for racecourses to treat the sport’s participants as partners and for “horsemen and the BHA to demand a seat at the table of all future media rights discussion… so that horsemen finally receive their fair share of those deals and there is no misunderstanding as to how the income will be shared”.

It added: “It is unacceptable that racecourses have excluded them both from these negotiations for so long.

“The PRA will continue to intervene where those in the official industry structure are unwilling to do so. Our goal continues to be to have the whole industry working together to increase the income for British racing, but this cannot happen till these imbalances are resolved.”



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Thoroughbred Group ‘cannot support’ proposed PRA action

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The Thoroughbred Group has voiced its disapproval of the suggestion that trainers should boycott television interviews unless they begin to receive payment for their contribution.

The organisation brings together the five key participant groups within the sport; the Racehorse Owners Association, the National Trainers Federation, the Professional Jockeys Association, the National Association of Stable Staff and the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association.

The boycott – currently scheduled for Sandown on Saturday – has been proposed by the Professional Racing Association, a separate body founded by Peter Savill – a long-standing racing figure and former chair of the British Horseracing Board which was the forerunner of the British Horseracing Authority.

The PRA claims to represent the interests of around 170 trainers and is not aligned to the official body of the NTF. It said in a statement on Monday: “Unless the racecourses and media companies resolve this particular issue by Saturday, the PRA trainer members will refrain from giving interviews at Sandown on Saturday.”

Members of the PRA have asked for payments from media rights companies to allow access to its trainers on racedays, putting them in line with jockeys, who receive an annual group fee for TV input which is put towards their insurance scheme.

In response the Thoroughbred Group has released a statement that reads: “While the Thoroughbred Group fully understands participant frustrations around how the sport’s income is distributed, with 2024 continuing the recent trend of falling real-terms prize-money, we cannot support the action proposed by the PRA.

“The sport should be working together to ensure that everybody is remunerated fairly, and any increased contributions should not be helping to fund groups that sit outside of the sport’s governance structure.

“Thoroughbred Group members are confident that the Commercial Partnerships proposal that is currently being debated by the industry presents a more constructive blueprint for the growth of the sport.

“Talks are progressing with the RCA and several individual courses, with increased alignment across a number of areas of the proposal, which includes media commitments.

“There is still work to do however on finding agreement around the fairest way to measure racecourse contribution to prize-money. We look forward to the BHA board discussing the merits of the final proposal in the next few months.”

Louise Norman, chief executive of the ROA, added: “Whilst we need central agreements to reflect a fair and equitable finance model for our sport, they must be embedded in a collective industry that prioritises engagement and recruitment across racing enthusiasts, racegoers and importantly owners.

“The sport needs the media and broadcasting support, not a divisive demand that simply takes money for the administration of the PRA via a trainers’ commission. At a time when the sport should be focused on driving increased revenue and engagement into the sport, these disruptive headlines simply accelerate the loss of fans and owners, and continue to harm British racing as a whole.

“I know from frequent discussions with owners, including from this weekend at Cheltenham, that many of them to do not support this. Owners continuously underpin this sport, and their patience is wearing thin as their wants and needs continue to be either undermined or ignored across the sport – that must and will change.”

Paul Johnson, chief executive of the NTF, said: “Trainers’ media work is just one example of the effort that participants put in to ensure that our sport can go ahead and be an engaging spectacle for the customer.

“My belief, however, is that it is counterproductive for us to focus on payments for individual aspects of what we do and that we need to focus on the bigger picture of a wider revenue sharing agreement with racecourses if we are to bring about the meaningful change required to set the sport on a more successful path.”



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