Cheltenham Saturday

STAGE Star (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) survived a rare mistake at the final fence in an ultimately impressive win in the Paddy Power Gold Cup on Saturday, and the Cheltenham Festival winner had given his rivals a jumping lesson to that point.

Sent off the 4/1 market leader, Stage Star had typically jumped boldly in front and had the race in safe keeping when getting underneath the last fence, so while he was quite clever in getting to the other side, he landed steeply, pitching forward initially and then losing his back legs as he attempted to recover.

It was perhaps the most impressive aspect of his performance that he was going away again at the line having had his lead slashed by that error.

Stage Star had won the Turners Novices’ Chase in March, beating Notlongtillmay by three and a quarter lengths at level weights, and it was again Laura Morgan’s gelding who pushed him hardest at the weekend, with the margin growing slightly to four lengths despite a 3lb pull for the runner-up.

Il Ridoto (Freddie Gingell), a stablemate of the winner, was beaten a dozen lengths in third in a race which was quite attritional after overnight rain ensured soft ground all over.

Momentum

“He did well to win,” said a relieved Paul Nicholls. “You don’t often make mistakes like that, lose your momentum and gallop on. If he had not done that, then he would have won very well.

“It’s been a bit of a challenge to get him right, as he’s not one who wants to be taken away for a gallop, he’s not been anywhere, we’ve just got him right at home. He’s good fresh but it’s about getting that balance right between being fresh and good enough to win like today.

“This has been a target from when he came in and if he hadn’t made that mistake at the last, he would have been really impressive.

“He’s got to be a Ryanair horse on that; he’s going to keep improving and his season will be geared back from that.

“He has to go left-handed and there’s no point going anywhere else with him, the Ryanair will be the aim now. If we didn’t run before then, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.

“I won’t run him right-handed, so that limits a little bit where we go, but that’s not a worry.”

IT’S a long time until March, but Royal Ascot winner Burdett Road (James Owen/Harry Cobden) put down an early marker for the Triumph Hurdle with a thoroughly likeable performance in the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle.

The former Michael Bell inmate tasted Royal Ascot success in the Golden Gates Handicap in June and remains in the ownership of the Gredley family, now switched to hurdles, with Owen, formerly best known for his success with purebred Arabians, in charge of his Triumph campaign.

Winner on his hurdles bow at Huntingdon, Burdett Road was sent off the 9/4 second favourite, and despite jumping with a lack of fluency (made two significant errors), he travelled best and impressed with the turn of foot he showed when produced to lead after the last hurdle, quickening smartly to beat longtime leader An Bradan Feasa (Jack Jones/Tom Bellamy) by six and a half lengths.

Favourite Milan Tino (Noel George amd Amanda Zetterholm/Jonjo O’Neill Jr) was a further half length away in third.

“When he won at Huntingdon, he was keen and did everything the wrong way,” said Owen. “We had to do one of two things today, either make the running or drop him in and we all decided we would drop him in and Harry has given him a lovely, cool ride. He will have learned a lot on the way round.

“With the rain last night, I was so nervous this morning, for a flat horse he is tough, didn’t he come up that hill well? He is a very tough horse, and exciting, this was a Triumph trial and that’s our aim. On good ground, he’ll be exciting. He may go to Chepstow or the Adonis.

Rest of the Card

Cromwell gains another Cheltenham success

THE amateur riders’ handicap chase went the way of Hascoeur Clermont, a 12/1 winner for Gavin Cromwell and Noel McParlan.

The six-year-old was providing Cromwell with his fifth Cheltenham winner of the season and should continue to pay his way given his lowly starting mark in handicaps.

Broadway Boy (Nigel Twiston-Davies/Tom Bellamy) was giving weight to Flooring Porter when runner-up over three miles here last month, and the five-year-old built on that promise to go one better in the Listed From The Horse’s Mouth Podcast Novices’ Chase over track and trip.

A well-backed 9/4 shot, Broadway Boy was allowed to stride on, and outjumped his rivals bar taking off too early at the final ditch.

It was obvious how much the youngster enjoys tackling the bigger obstacles, and in the end he won by 20 lengths from stablemate Weveallbeencaught.

A good weekend for the Gilligan family began with Buddy One winning for trainer Paul and jockey son Jack in the three-mile handicap hurdle.

The six-year-old was following up a win at Galway three weeks earlier and coped well with the step up to three miles, for all the advantage he stole between the last two hurdles was whittled down to a length at the line.

Buddy One may do better yet, a comment which also applies to Springwell Bay (Jonjo O’Neill/Jonjo Jr), who won the intermediate hurdle with something to spare off a lenient mark of 137.

He has a largely progressive profile and the size and scope to suggest he’s not yet near his peak.

The card ended with a listed bumper, won in clear-cut style by the Willie Mullins-trained Baby Kate (Brian Hayes), a daughter of the yard’s smart hurdler Augusta Kate, who was following up a workmanlike debut win at Ballinrobe.

The daughter of Champs Elysees isn’t overly big, but has clearly inherited plenty of her dam’s ability, and should have a future over hurdles.