Newbury Saturday

Ladbrokes Trophy Chase

THE death of Trevor Hemmings in October robbed jumps racing of one of its biggest and most enthusiastic supporters, so it seems apt that the most prestigious handicap of the winter should go the way of a horse sporting his green and yellow quartered silks.

That horse was the Venetia Williams-trained Cloudy Glen (Charlie Deutsch), who held the persistent challenge of Fiddlerontheroof (Colin Tizzard/Brendan Powell) by half a length after the pair had separated themselves from their rivals after the last ditch, at which point long-time leader Cloth Cap, carrying the Hemmings first colours, weakened. There was a yawning gap of 28 lengths to the third, and the winner was returned at 33/1.

The race would likely have been a pulsating three-way finish but for the fall of Remastered at the first in the straight as he was challenging the winner, and travelling just as well.

That fall caused minor interference to the runner-up, although given the eventual margins, it may well have been the difference between victory and defeat for the Colin Parker Memorial winner.

The Willie Mullins pair Brahma Bull and Ontheropes stayed on to fill the frame, but both were rather flattered to be running through beaten horses having posed no win threat at all.

The winner has a reputation as a difficult horse at home, and much praise should go to Hugh Nugent, who exclusively rides him out, and while he’s been cranky, quirky, and having ‘a bit of fire about him’, he seems to have progressed again, having been second in the Kim Muir at Cheltenham in March in an up-and-down 2020/21 campaign.

His trainer gave an indication of his quirks, and his talent in her post-race interview: “Cloudy Glen has had a wind op since his last run, but we couldn’t do a galloping scope because he’s so quirky and wouldn’t let the vet anywhere near him.

“He’s always been quirky, but he did a piece of work then and I thought, ‘Blimey, where did that come from?’ I thought then we’d run, but I don’t know about future plans.”

THE Grade 2 John Francome Novices’ Chase looked quite a tricky puzzle despite the small field, but it was turned into a decidedly one-sided affair by the impressive winner Ahoy Senor (Lucinda Russell/Derek Fox), who defied market weakness (drifted to an SP of 5/2 having been favourite overnight) to register a 31-length win over the gambled-on Mr Incredible (Henry de Bromhead/Rachael/Blackmore).

His jumping wasn’t without blemish, but he looks a relentless galloper, and the further he went, the more impressive he looked, leaving some useful rivals for dead some way from home here, and proving beyond doubt that there was no fluke about his Grade 1 win over hurdles at Aintree in the spring.

Ahoy Senor unseated on his chase debut against established performers in the Colin Parker, and while he made a couple of errors here, he is by no means a sketchy jumper, but merely a young horse learning on the job, and he appeals as the type to draw more mistakes out of others than he’ll make himself given his ability to maintain a searching gallop.

He tended to correct to his right here, which means that a switch to Kempton ought to suit in the Kauto Star at Christmas, his next possible target, but that’s not a given, and time may show that he will always be best on a proper, galloping track.

Exciting

Whatever the truth of that, he looks an enormously exciting recruit to fences, and has almost boundless potential if he can be kept fit and healthy.

Mr Incredible was very impressive on his chased debut at Naas, and was disappointing on the face of it here, but he did at least pull well clear of the others, and remains with potential in graded company.

He wanted to hang left almost throughout the race, which affected his jumping, and made it hard for Rachael Blackmore to ride the race she wanted, and he isn’t one to write off assuming he can be cured of that tendency, which was in evidence to some degree in his last two wins.

“Ahoy Senor has got no experience but has jumped round there and it’s the ability he has,” said Lucinda Russell of her new stable star.

“It’s phenomenal to be part of it. We knew he was a good horse at home – you just have to look at his stride and how he gallops. The Kauto Star is on the agenda – and he did jump a bit right. He’s not the finished article yet.”