Sandown Saturday

Bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Grade 3)

IF there was some disappointment that one of the Closutton handler’s marquee performers should be turned over on a day of celebration, that was soon forgotten when 17/2 chance Minella Cocooner (Danny Mullins) landed another thrilling renewal of the bet365 Gold Cup.

His strong run from behind looked irresistible only for long-time leader Annual Invictus (Chris/Freddie Gordon) to rally gamely when headed, with the winning margin a hard-fought neck. The winner’s stablemate Nick Rockett, the choice of Paul Townend, was an honourable third, two and a half lengths behind the winner, with the veteran Certainly Red (Lydia Richards/Marc Goldstein) running a cracker in a close fourth.

Of the winning ride, Mullins said: “Danny gave the horse a tremendous ride today and got him really balanced and travelling, with tremendous jumps over the last two. I would like to thank the owner (David Bobbett) for letting me come here rather than waiting for Punchestown next week.”

The bet365 Gold Cup wasn’t the last action for the Closutton team at Sandown, and the Grade 2 Select Hurdle allowed Impaire Et Passe to confirm Aintree Hurdle form with Langer Dan (Dan/Harry Skelton) on marginally worse terms. There was just a whisker between the pair at Aintree but 4/5 favourite Impaire Et Passe showed no wayward tendencies this time and travelled sweetly into the lead with two to jump.

Langer Dan emerged from the pack as his closest rival at the last hurdle, but the winner just had to be kept up to his work to win by over two lengths, thereby completing a double on the card for the newly crowned champion and jockey Paul Townend. Sir Gerhard did his bit to swell the Mullins coffers in finishing third under trainer’s son Patrick.

Overall, Willie Mullins trained the winners of 28 races in the 2023/’24 season while twice as many of his runners earned minor prize money, with total earnings of £3,326,135. Dan Skelton finished runner-up with Paul Nicholls third. The last Irish trainer to achieve the feat was Vincent O’Brien in the 1953/’54 season.

Expanding on what winning the trainers’ title meant, Mullins said: “It’s fantastic to be champion trainer. I would like to thank all my owners who have been magnificent. They said ‘bring to England whatever you need to win the title’, which was tremendous. Between the owners, my staff, and my jockeys – what more could you ask for? You need the horses but if you have got the setup, the horses will come.

“Vincent is the legend of the game and just to emulate something he did is extraordinary. We had never dreamed of doing it but after we were pipped at the post in 2016, I said if we ever got the opportunity again then we would go for it. David Casey went through all our horses to find out what was qualified for all races in England, Scotland, and Wales!

“What more can I say? I am amazed at the racing public over here, to be welcomed with such open arms everywhere we have gone. I would also like to thank the sponsors for putting on such a great day with a large prize money pot.

“It has been such a special day with Jackie, Patrick, David Casey, Ruby Walsh, James Nash, and others from back in the day, as well as a big crowd of friends all here today. I am sure we are going to celebrate long and hard! We will start off this evening, go on through the whole of Punchestown next week and maybe a few days after that!”

Bet365 Celebration Chase (Grade 1)

FOR various reasons, most recently the untimely death of stable favourite Shishkin after a stable accident earlier in the week, it has not been a vintage season for multiple champion trainer Nicky Henderson, but a double on the meeting’s final day brought a smile to his face, the highlight being a dominant display by Jonbon (Nico de Boinville) to win the Grade 1 Celebration Chase.

As he did last year, Jonbon was backing up quickly after a Grade 1 win at Aintree, but despite typically getting warm in the preliminaries, he showed no ill-effects from his busy spring, and produced a display on a par with his best to beat hot favourite El Fabiolo (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) by four lengths.

Jonbon had been let down by his jumping when beaten in the Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham in January but here, and at Aintree, he was much more fluent, which can’t be said of El Fabiolo, who avoided the wholesale blunder which saw him exit early from the Champion Chase, but who nevertheless noticeably less slick than either the winner or Edwardstone (Alan King/Tom Cannon), who looked the only danger to Jonbon until after the last, the exertions of giving chase seeing him passed on the line and beaten by a short-head for second.

Jonbon was completing a quick double for trainer and jockey after the Grade 2 Oaksey Chase had gone the way of the stable’s Fantastic Lady at odds of 9/1. The nine-year-old mare had the ground go against her when fancied for the Topham Chase at Aintree and found the strongly run race suiting her well as she produced a career-best effort to beat the pace-setting Ga Law (Jamie Snowden/Gavin Sheehan) by two and a half lengths.

“I think he’s regained his place in the pecking order of two-mile chasers,” said Henderson. “He gets from A to B very quickly. He’s flown the flag all year and it was a brave horse to do that today and a brave jockey as well to be fair, as he had to ask him questions.”

The trainer added: “I was thinking the Ascot Chase might be the place to start him next season, but we’ve got all summer, and we can’t ask the horse. We’ve just got to decide ourselves where is his optimum.”

On Fantastic Lady he said: “We kept her all season for the Topham, which she was second in last year, but this year it turned out too soft for her. We were third in this last year and thought we’d have a look again.”

Ascot Wednesday

THERE were a couple of pattern races at the Royal Ascot trials meeting at the track on Wednesday, with Coltrane (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) winning the Group 3 Sagaro Stakes for the second year in succession. The only one of the field with a recent run under his belt, he made fitness count with a workmanlike victory over Caius Chorister (David Menuisier/Jamie Spencer), who finished with a flourish to go down by just a head.

The 7/2 winner was wearing cheekpieces for the first time having run poorly in the Dubai Gold Cup in March. Trueshan was readily held in fourth under a 7lb penalty for winning the Prix du Cadran, and ought to be much better for the outing, having been equally underwhelming in the race 12 months earlier.

The Commonwealth Cup Trial saw quite an impressive winner in the shape of Clive Cox’s Jasour (Jim Crowley) who quickened smartly from the back of the field to take the Group 3 contest in taking style. Winner of the July Stakes as a juvenile, he lost his form in the autumn but has strengthened up well and looks a progressive sprinter.

WHILE Willie Mullins was being feted at Sandown, Gavin Cromwell was quietly cementing a reputation as a man to feat on his English jaunts, with Earls (Franny Norton) landing the televised 7 furlong handicap on Haydock’s flat card. Just touched off at the Curragh on his previous start, Earls hit the front inside the final furlong only to prick his ears and idle, looking to have a bit to spare.