Newbury Saturday

Betfair Hurdle

CHRIS Gordon is enjoying a fine season and enjoyed his best day of the term so far when landing a double on the day, with Annual Invictus winning the staying handicap hurdle under the trainer’s son Freddie, and Aucunrisque (Nick Scholfield) doubling up for the yard in the valuable Betfair Hurdle, both horses breaking the old course record for the respective trips into the bargain.

Aucunrisque has been chasing this season, and showed very useful form when runner-up in the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton, but he was able to run off a lower hurdles mark here, and Gordon deserves plenty of credit for taking advantage of that anomaly in this prestigious event.

The 9/1 chance was soon in front and raced with zest throughout, looking in trouble when tackled by the gambled-on favourite Filey Bay (Emmet Mullins/Donagh Meyler) at the penultimate hurdle, but typically finding plenty under pressure and rallying to win by a hard-fought length.

The front pair pulled clear over the last two hurdles, and had 11 lengths to spare over the Gary Moore-trained pair Teddy Blue (Caoilin Quinn) and Yorksea (Niall Houlihan), who were separated by a diminishing three-parts of a length at the end of the two-mile contest. The winning time was a remarkable 3m 41.3s.

Zanza in Hobbs landmark

The going at Newbury on Saturday was given as good before racing, but there were four course records set on the day and Timeform’s independent description of the ground was firm.

That saw some surprise results, none more so than in the Grade 2 Denman Chase where course specialist Zanza (Tom O’Brien) stepped up markedly on recent handicap form to give trainer Philip Hobbs a 3000th winner at odds of 16/1 in a field of seven.

Held up early as usual, Zanza made ground around the home turn and hit the front at the penultimate fence, where main rival Hitman (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) made the second of two consecutive mistakes, and that allowed the blinkered nine-year-old to stride on for a nine-length win over the favourite, with Does He Know (Kim Bailey/David Bass) a length and a half further back in third.

Zanza was bringing his course record to 116111, with his only defeat coming in a bunch finish to the 2020 Betfair Hurdle on this card three years ago.

He managed to take eight seconds off the old course record of 5m 42.5s for the extended two-mile-and-seven trip, set by Long Run more than a decade ago in the same contest.

The winning trainer has been aware of this looming landmark for some time, and while it must have been agonising to go through January without a winner, Hobbs was delighted to have hit the 3000-mark in a race of such stature.

He was philosophical about recent form, and while confirming that long-time assistant Johnson White would likely be added to the training licence, was in no mood to talk of retirement.

“Early in my career, we had very few horses and not many winners, either” he mused. “We have had a very good period in between. It has been a bit slow recently, but hopefully Johnson will bring more to the table.

“I’m a little emotional. It has been a long time, so I suppose that’s only right. I’m not thinking of drawing stumps in the slightest. I shall still be there very much as well.”

Game Spirit Chase

Another horse to set a new record in Graded company was Funambule Sivola (Venetia Williams/Charlie Deutsch), who clocked 3m 51.72s for the extended two miles of the Game Spirit Chase to gain a second win in the Grade 2 event.

The eight-year-old son of Noroit made all the running, and although joined by odds-on favourite Greaneteen at the second-last fence, the 7/1 shot soon quickened away from that rival, and had three and a half lengths in hand of Elixir De Nutz at the finish line.

This represented a change in tactics for Funambule Sivola, who has been disappointing since finishing second in last year’s Champion Chase, and he seemed on much better terms with himself as a result, bouncing off the fast ground and seeming back to his best.

Accidents befell a couple of his rivals when he was runner-up to Energumene last March, so he will need to step up again if he’s to make the frame at Cheltenham next month.

Greaneteen had much the best form coming into this race, and seems to thrive on a sound surface, so must go down as disappointing, for all he may be better at Sandown.

He was too keen and failed to jump with his usual accuracy, but is likely to bounce back, with the Celebration Chase on the final day of the season his best chance of another Grade 1 success.

“I have to give Charlie a lot of credit,” said Venetia Williams. “Not just for a superb ride, but also the chat we had before the race and he said this horse loves this ground and this has got to be his race.

“The worry about this horse is that he had a tendon injury before we ever ran him, so you are trying to be a little more careful, but he is a small horse, he is a quick horse and you have a tricky dilemma – you are trying to mind him, but at the same time, it is what he enjoys. The Champion Chase will be his next run.”

Warwick Saturday

JONBON (Nicky Henderson/Aidan Coleman) was left with only one rival to beat in the Grade 2 Kingmaker Novices’ Chase at Warwick after a couple of defections, but the 1/16 favourite made rather heavy weather of beating the inferior Calico (Dan/Harry Skelton) by five and a half lengths, briefly looking in trouble after the runner-up had been dashed into the lead down the far side of the track.

In truth, Coleman was very easy on Jonbon, which allowed Harry Skelton to attempt a smash-and-grab manoeuvre, and the favourite was well on top at the finish.

It’s hard to know what to make of this performance, with the winner unlikely to have been close to concert pitch, but his jumping was not blemish free having looked a huge asset here and at Sandown on his first two starts.

He is now second-favourite for the Arkle, and while some may think that an over-reaction, it needs to be remembered just how impressive El Fabiolo had been in the Irish Arkle, and the odds as they stand make perfect sense.

Round-Up

TOM Scudamore has announced his immediate retirement from the saddle after suffering a heavy fall from Ya Know Yaseff at Leicester on Thursday.

Speaking to the Daily Mail’s Marcus Townend, he said: “I had a concussion 10 days ago and I have been concussed a few times in the past. At my age you have to be careful. I feel I have had a bit of a warning and falls I could take in the past are harder to take now.

“There was no concussion after my fall at Leicester, but I got a right kicking and I thought I have had my warning now. Not everybody gets to go out on their own terms but I am. I am not retiring, I am just changing job, although I don’t know what that job will be yet!”

Scudamore rode over 1,500 winners during his career, with Thistlecrack’s wins in the Stayers’ Hurdle and King George VI Chase his biggest successes in the saddle.