Sandown Saturday

Unibet Tolworth Novices’

Hurdle (Grade 1)

TAHMURAS (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) provided his trainer with a fifth success in the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle on Saturday, cruising to success on testing ground, although his task was made easier by the flop of warm favourite Authorised Speed, who scoped dirty after cutting out quickly in the straight.

Colonel Harry set just a fair pace and still led on the run to the penultimate flight, but only on sufferance as Cobden was clearly holding on to plenty aboard the 5/2 second favourite.

He sent Tahmuras on between the last two and, while not at all fluent at either of those obstacles, he came clear in the style of a smart prospect.

The Evan Williams-trained L’Astroboy (Adam Wedge) stayed on for second, albeit flattered by the two and a half-length margin, with Nemean Lion a further length behind in third for Kerry Lee and Richard Patrick.

Noel Fehily, who heads up the syndicates which own both Tahmuras and listed mares’ hurdle winner Love Envoi, was enjoying his best day in the sport since hanging up his riding boots. He talked of future targets for Tahmuras.

Bit of quality

“He will be in the Supreme and the Ballymore at the Festival,” said a beaming Fehily. “We will speak to Paul about where he goes, but he looks pretty good and reminds me of Summerville Boy on whom I won the Supreme. He’s a good staying horse with a bit of quality.

Winning trainer Paul Nicholls was harking back to previous winners of this race and the Supreme, seeing the winner very much in a proven mould.

“It was good,” was his succinct reaction, before adding “It took 15 years [since Silverburn provided his fourth and most recent Tolworth win], but you have got to have the right sort of horses, haven’t you? To be fair, we thought he’d go very close. Scott Marshall, who rides him every day, said it would take a good one to beat him and I’ve got a lot of faith in Scott.”

“He has just done nothing but improve and he is like Noland and Al Ferof, who both won the Supreme for us – they are both strong and good stayers with good enough boot for two.

“So, I guess we will go to the Supreme with him – we’ll so straight there – but he is the mirror of Noland and Al Ferof.”

Errors

Asked about the late errors which were the only black mark on an otherwise smooth performance, Nicholls added: “He is an improving young horse, and we will sharpen his jumping on better ground. It is hard jumping out of that deep ground up that Sandown hill.

“They all jumped fairly ordinary, but he was adequate and when we get that better ground in the spring, we will sharpen his jumping up.”

Fehily’s Love Envoi syndicate has already tasted Cheltenham Festival success when Harry Fry’s mare won the Dawn Run Mares’ Novice last March, and the seven-year-old looks a live candidate for the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle this year after a demolition of her field in this listed contest, including last year’s winner Martello Sky (Lucy Wadham/Aidan Coleman), who tried to make a race of it against Johnny Burke’s mount, but was readily shaken off and beaten 13 lengths at the line.

Love Envoi, sent off at 30/100, was held up in the rear on the first circuit, but she cruised into contention without Burke needing to give her any encouragement, and she took the lead at the third-last flight while still hard on the bridle.

Martello Sky was hard ridden to close at the penultimate obstacle, but Burke still had his hands full and, when he let out an inch of rein, his mount pulled effortlessly away to confirm herself a genuine contender against Marie’s Rock, Epatante et al.

“She’s growing up all the time and Johnny said he was more impressed with her today than ever before,” said Fehily in the aftermath.

“I was fairly confident watching his body language that he was in total control but watching them when they are odds-on is a lot more nerve-wracking than riding them, that’s for sure.

“We shall have a chat with Harry as there’s a race at Warwick, but it wouldn’t bother me if she went straight to the Festival.

“When David Crosse and I set up this syndicate, we hoped to have horses for Saturdays and not just to run across the country, but when she won at Cheltenham it was a dream come true.”

Veterans’ shock

The Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase Final threw up a shock result with Mel Rowley’s Wishing And Hoping jumping well in front to stun punters with a 50/1 success under Alex Edwards.

Top-weight Ramses De Teillee was second having made late progress, with Run To Milan third and Up Helly Aa King fourth. Rowley and husband Phil have a point-to-point background, with Phil now training the pointers after Mel took out a public licence a couple of years ago. This was her biggest success to date.

Round-Up

THE 2000/’01 campaign was the last National Hunt season in which Paul Nicholls failed to train a century of winners and these days his aim is to hit that magic number by Christmas.

The weather last month put paid to that ambition for the current term, but Nicholls broke through the barrier in style as he saddled four winners at Taunton on Monday, all ridden by stable jockey Harry Cobden.

Iliko D’Olivate, Cap Du Mathan, Rare Middleton and Afadil all justified short odds to bring up the nap hand with the stable’s only defeat on the day coming when Pleasant Man finished third to Iliko D’Olivate in the opening contest.

“I’m very happy with everything – the way the horses are looking, the way they’re running, and the way Harry is riding. Everybody is working hard at home, it’s fantastic,” Nicholls added, before preparing for his annual 10-day holiday in the Caribbean.

Another trainer among the winners was Stuart Crawford. The Antrim man is well-placed to travel his horses as he trains close to the ferry port in Larne, and all 16 of his runners in 2023 have come in Scotland or the North East. He trains more winners on his away sorties than on home soil due to some astute placing and took his British tally to 13 for the season with wins from O’Toole at Newcastle on Saturday and El Poppochapo at Ayr on Monday. Both winners were ridden by Daryl Jacob.