Kempton St Stephen’s Day

Ladbrokes King George Chase (Grade 1)

THE 7/1 shot Banbridge (Joseph O’Brien/Paul Townend) won a thrilling Ladbrokes King George VI Chase after runner-up Il Est Francais (Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm/James Reveley) looked briefly to have run his rivals ragged from the front. As in last year’s Kauto Star, Reveley gave Il Est Francais an attacking ride and his mount jumped superbly to gain ground at almost every obstacle, enabling him to build up a sizeable advantage in the back straight.

When he winged the fourth-last fence, his rider committed for home and only Banbridge, who worked his way into contention under much more patient riding, could go with him. The leader only showed signs of tiring between the last two fences and, when he had to shorten up to jump the last, Banbridge ranged alongside and flew the obstacle to gain a decisive advantage on the short run-in. The winning margin was a length and three-quarters with 10 lengths back to L’Homme Presse (Venetia Williams/Charlie Deutsch) in third. Despite Banbridge failing to fire on his only previous start at three miles, O’Brien and owner Ronnie Bartlett had planned well in advance to target this race, and Banbridge showed his suitability for Kempton when winning the two-and-a-half-mile Silviniaco Conti Chase here in January.

Cheltenham options

Having proven his stamina for the trip, they are entitled to think about the Gold Cup, but he wouldn’t be the first to relish the sharp three miles at Kempton who found that race a step too far, so it’s surely a better call to aim him at the Ryanair, unless the ground is quick enough to count against the stouter stayers in March.

James Reveley also suggested a drop in trip for the runner-up, and his history of bleeding would also counsel against a slog in March. Both would benefit from spring ground and could meet again in the Ryanair, which remains a strangely unloved contest. That will change.

Joseph O’Brien said: “It was a special win. I’m very proud of the horse, and the team at home.

“Ronnie said after Punchestown this was the race to target, and I’m delighted for him. He has supported me very well since I started training, and it doesn’t get any bigger than this.

“When he won the Silviniaco Conti here last season, he looked like he wouldn’t have any problem going further.

“We shortened him up earlier in the season, as we wanted to have him sharp for a track like this. The plan was to have the two runs then come here. It was probably in the back of our minds after the Silviniaco Conti last year, but Ronnie really wanted to target it after Punchestown.

“Paul gave him a fantastic ride. He was happy to find a nice rhythm and the race panned out nicely for him. I thought Il Est Francais was gone, to be honest, turning for home, but our horse made a sustained run all the way to the line. His resolution and stamina was tested, but he had enough for today.”

‘I’ve never seen Constitution Hill look better’

Christmas Hurdle (Grade 1)

CONSTITUTION Hill (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville) hadn’t seen a racecourse in exactly a year, but after a stop-start season in 2023/’24 and a bout of lameness that ruled him out of the Fighting Fifth, he bounced back to gain back-to-back wins in the Christmas Hurdle, justifying late support which saw him backed into 5/6 favourite.

In truth, Constitution Hill’s main rival Lossiemouth (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) didn’t seem herself from as early as the first hurdle, where Townend had to niggle her to take closer order, and needing to be ridden along even to take second place in the straight before keeping on for that position, two and a half lengths behind the comfortable winner.

As expected, Burdett Road set the pace before Constitution Hill cruised to the front two from home and he had the race in safe-keeping from some way out. It would be premature to announce that the winner was back to his best, and his stunning win in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle remains his most impressive performance.

However, he did more than enough to allay the doubts, which had entangled the former Champion with his extended bout on the sidelines, and the fact remains that, while he’s zero from three in point-to-points and spurious public gallops, he’s nine from nine under rules.

In terms of the Champion Hurdle picture, this tells us just that the winner is back in working order, and it’s his previous exploits that we should focus on in terms of form, although given his less-than-straightforward preparation for this race, he should improve for the run. The key question is whether he will be able to take another run before March, which would surely be the preferred approach (and Henderson has suggested that he would like to do so).

Don’t write Lossie off

An appearance in the International Hurdle on Trials Day or another recognised trial would increase confidence markedly. Henderson may well decide to go straight to the Festival, but doing so would be a concern given his sporadic appearances in recent times.

As for Lossiemouth, she simply didn’t look happy from the moment she jumped off and it’s pretty easy putting a line through this run. She needs to improve to win a Champion, but she’s not been blown off course just yet.

Henderson said: “The great thing is he is back. I do think he is very nearly as good as he was, and his jumping was as it always has been. It has been entertaining getting him back. There are a lot of things we have done differently - some of it has gone well and some of it has been a bit of a struggle, but the last three weeks have been very good - I’ve never seen him look better.”

Nico de Boinville said: “He felt fantastic. I think he has had a bit of a blow going to the last, so he is going to improve an awful lot – there is still a bit of ring rustiness. Being off for a year, all the credit has to go to the guv’nor.

“I came in to today very confident; when he did a couple of pieces of work two weeks ago, I thought we were back in business. Ever since then, he has been consistently pleasing us. I think there is still improvement to come, I really do. He just missed a couple of hurdles, but apart from that he was very good. I am very fortunate to work for Nicky – he’s a genius.”

“It was disappointing,” was Paul Townend’s appraisal of Lossiemouth’s performance. “We were struggling way too early, and I don’t know why. Her heart kept her going. She ran okay, but we weren’t good enough on the day. You would always like to take them on again, but I’d like to find out why we underperformed here today first.”

Straight to Cheltenham for The Jukebox Man

Kauto Star Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

THE Jukebox Man (Ben Pauling/Ben Jones) faced a fairly straightforward task in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase over the King George course and distance at Kempton, and duly built on his impressive chase debut win to get the better of Hyland (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville) comfortably by two and a half lengths.

Masaccio (Alan King/Tom Cannon), who had chased him home in the Grade 2 John Francome at Newbury, was a further 16 lengths behind in a race lacking depth for the grade. Once again, The Jukebox Man travelled and jumped well before taking over early in the home straight and looks a smart prospect for chasing, having gone agonisingly close in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham last March. The son of Ask is owned by Harry Redknapp, for whom racing is a passion, and although he’s already tasted success at the Cheltenham Festival when Shakem Up’arry won the Festival Plate in March, this was a first Grade 1 success for the colourful former football player and manager, as it was for winning rider Ben Jones.

Ben Pauling said: “I’ve been working on his sore heels all week. To me, going down to the start he was never quite moving with the exuberance you wanted to see. I was watching the race and thinking when he is going to let fly. Ben said he was a quicker, more accurate and better jumper today. He wasn’t so exuberant, but he was very quick, and I think there is a lot more to come.

“I doubt he will run again before Cheltenham, and he will have entries in both [the Arkle and the Broadway Novices’ Chase]. If it comes up heavy and he is feeling A1, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in an Arkle.”

Potters Charm retains his unbeaten record

Aintree St Stephen’s Day

William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)

POTTERS Charm (Nigel/Sam Twiston-Davies) maintained his unbeaten record when winning the Grade 1 William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree at an SP of Evens. Sporting the colours of Ged Mason, the five-year-old raced prominently throughout and, despite a couple of late jumping blemishes, he stayed on strongly to beat Miami Magic (Stuart Edmunds/) by two and a quarter lengths.

The winner, twice previously successful at around two and a half miles at Cheltenham will now head straight to the Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Baring Bingham) at the Cheltenham Festival, for which he is now a general 10/1 chance.

Sam Twiston-Davies said: “You are always nervous coming into a race like this. It was his on paper to go and lose and thankfully he hasn’t. We thought that if we are going to go to Cheltenham with any kind of realistic chance, he needs to do things quicker, so we decided to run him over an inadequate trip and make him do it.

“The good thing was he made some brilliant jumps down the back. He was awful three out and two out and was then clever at the last. Hopefully, the experience won’t be lost on him come March. He has always been a good jumper, but just a little bit big. When you go The Festival, you want a horse that can jump with pace and not make any fiddly little errors or getting too high in the air. Hopefully, he has ironed that out now and will go to Cheltenham with a right chance.”

Kempton Friday

HAVING played the part of understudy superbly when Constitution had to miss the Fighting Fifth, Sir Gino (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville) took his role as leading man in his own right with a superb display to land the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Friday, never missing a beat and showing too much speed for Ballyburn (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) to run out an authoritative winner at 8/13.

Ballyburn led in the early stages, but while he was generally bold at his fences, he was regularly outleapt by Sir Gino who was a little sticky at the first two, but absolutely breathtaking at his obstacles once de Boinville allowed him his head. The pair jumped to the lead at the third before allowing Ballyburn to regain the initiative and the front pair quickly pulled clear as they attacked the fences down the far side, with Sir Gino gaining ground in the air, despite his rival doing nothing wrong.

Gaining a definite advantage approaching the first in the straight, he gradually pulled clear, with the runner-up already beaten when banking the final fence, and seven and a half lengths adrift at the line.

It’s easy to focus on the weight concession and the final fence mistake by Ballyburn, but Sir Gino had his measure before either of those factors came into play and looks a frighteningly good two-miler in the making.

Ballyburn was at a disadvantage against such a rival given good ground and a sharp two miles played completely to Sir Gino’s strengths and, while connections may have been disappointed, they can now look to move him up in trip, and he remains a very exciting prospect in his own right.

It’s worth noting that the smart hurdler Rubaud jumped the first few fences at least as well as the main protagonists, but was totally unable to match strides with them when the taps were turned on, and that pays a compliment to both winner and second.

Icon off the mark

The Grade 2 Desert Orchid Chase is now a limited handicap and, while topweight Edwardstone ran a race full of credit to finish second, he could not concede the guts of two stone to the useful Soul Icon (Kieran Burke/Harry Cobden), who was winning for the first time over fences after a string of second-place finishes.

The winner has simply been unlucky to date – he was a prolific hurdler after all – and bounced back to form having failed to handle very soft ground in the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown. He was 4lb out of the handicap and was allowed to go off at 16/1 as a result of those factors. The winner falls short of the best in novice company and has been raised to a mark of 147 for this win, which won’t make him easy to place in the future.

Val Dancer claims Welsh National

Chepstow Friday

VAL Dancer (Mel Rowley/Charlie Hammond) provided Mel Rowley with her first winner at Chepstow and her biggest success to date in the Coral Welsh Grand National.

Visibility was poor on the day, but the 10/1 winner emerged from the gloom in the closing stages having a battle with 2022 winner Iwilldoit before that gelding’s stablemate Jubilee Express threw down a challenge from the last, but the sound-jumping Val Dancer had enough in hand to score by a length and a half and the same from the Sam Thomas-trained pair.

Coral Finale Hurdle

The Grade 2 Finale Hurdle was dominated by the colt Nietzsche Has (Marcel Rolland/Ludovic Plilipperon), who stayed on strongly after hitting the front at the last to score by eight lengths from Marche D’Aligre (Jamies Snowden/Gavin Sheehan), but those boasting of having snagged juicy prices for the Triumph Hurdle will be disappointed as it was always the plan for the son of Zarak to go to stud, as did Rolland’s Prix de Cambaceres winner Jigme a year ago.