Cheltenham Saturday

THE first big prize of the jump season proper, the £160,000 BetVictor Gold Cup was won on Saturday by Kerry Lee, as Happy Diva (14/1) gave conditional rider Richard Patrick the marquee win every young jockey craves.

It reversed some ill-luck at the track for her trainer, who went close to a festival success in 2018 when two of the horses from her small Presteigne yard finished first and second in the Grand Annual.

She was again rueing her misfortune when Happy Diva was brought down when travelling well in this race last year, but it all came right as the eight-year-old mare dug deep to withhold the late challenge of Brelan D’As (Paul Nicholls/Barry Geraghty) by a neck, with Warthog (David Pipe/David Noonan) a brave third having made much of the running.

Balance

The race was in the balance at the penultimate fence as four horses rose almost in unison, but 4/1 favourite Slate House, arguably travelling best under Robbie Power, came down at that fence and Warthog cracked shortly after, leaving two to fight out a thrilling finish.

“Always the bridesmaid, never the bride,” goes the expression, and Happy Diva has finished second 13 times over obstacles, so her trainer was delighted to welcome her home as a winner, and for once luck swung her way.

Thyme Hill travels and stays well

SATURDAY started with the Grade 2 Ballymore (Hyde) Novices’ Hurdle, a race rearranged from Friday’s cancelled card, and which was won impressively by the Persian War winner Thyme Hill for Philip Hobbs and Richard Johnson.

Thyme Hill, the 11/8 market leader, travelled strongly and stayed on well despite Johnson losing his right iron running to the line, and beat Champagne Well and Happygolucky by three lengths and three-quarters of a length respectively. He will reportedly go to the Challow Hurdle at Newbury in a bid to add a Grade 1 to his two Grade 2 successes. He looks a serious contender for that prize and beyond.

The Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle, which was win in pillar-to-post style by the headstrong Allmankind, by Sea The Moon, and a grandson of Irish Oaks heroine Wemyss Bight. He’s bred to be very good, and while he pulled far too hard to reach his potential on the flat, he looks transformed by obstacles, and saw the trip out well to beat Botox Has by two and a half lengths. Both horses were returned at 11/4.

Favourite Mick Pastor also took a grip, but the son of July Stakes winner Meshaheer is not bred to stay, and was soundly beaten. He could be hard to place over hurdles, and his defeat of Grade 1 winner Nirvana Du Berlais is likely to prove misleading.

Cheltenham win for West Approach

WEST Approach (Colin Tizzard) won the Grade 3 BetVictor Smartcards Handicap Chase at an SP of 11/4, and in doing so ended a 15-race losing streak at Cheltenham, which is a remarkable enough achievement in itself.

The winner is classy, but he can only maintain his run over a short period, and tends to flatten out in his races. On this occasion, Robbie Power delayed his challenge until after the last, and that enabled this frustrating character to gain an elusive win in graded company.

Achille, representing the same trainer/owner combination as former Grand National winner Mon Mome, jumped soundly and kept on for second, and has a decent staying handicap in him over the winter.

Sam Lee is a colourful character, and has racked up plenty of holidays courtesy of the point-to-point stewards (including one for launching a verbal tirade in the direction of a horse called – and I kid you not on this – Howld Your Whist), but the 21-year-old enjoyed his finest hour by winning the Listed Big Buck’s Handicap Hurdle aboard outsider for trainer Phil Middleton.

Lee is actually serving a point-to-point ban at present, but it didn’t preclude him from riding Golan Fortune here, and the pair kicked on at the right time to beat Eminent Poet and top-weight Tobefair by two and a half lengths and one and a half lengths, rewarding backers at 14/1.