141st Year Of The National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup (Amateur Riders' Novices' Chase) 4m
- (5yo+, 4m, Class 2, 16 runners)
- Winner £45,015 2nd £14,062 3rd £7,028 4th £3,518 5th £1,755 6th £885
- Going: Good, Good to Soft in places
- Surface: Turf
Weighed In:
- Winning time: 8m 20.90s
- Off time: 13:30:40
Full Result
| Pos | Dist | Horse | Trainer | Age | Weight | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 8 Chicago Grey (IRE) | G Elliott | 8 | 11-6 t | Mr Derek O'Connor | 5/1f | |
| SP 5/1f Held up behind on inside, steady headway on inside 4 out, tracked leader going well approaching 2 out, soon challenged, led soon after last, ridden and stayed on well flat £2000-£360 £2750-£500(x2) £2200-£400 £1750-£300(x3) | |||||||
| 2nd | 4½ | 4 Beshabar (IRE) | Tim Vaughan | 9 | 11-6 | Mr Tom David | 9/1 |
| SP 9/1 Led to 3rd, tracked leaders, joined leader 20th, led again 3 out, hard pressed next, soon ridden, headed soon after last, no impression with winner flat opened 8/1 £3600-£600 | |||||||
| 3rd | 8 | 5 Be There In Five (IRE) | N J Henderson | 7 | 11-6 | Mr S Waley-Cohen | 20/1 |
| SP 20/1 In touch on inside, headway to chase leader after 3 out to next, soon ridden and kept on same pace, no impression from last | |||||||
| 4th | 3¼ | 2 Alfa Beat (IRE) | C Byrnes | 7 | 11-6 p | Mr R P McNamara | 11/2 |
| SP 11/2 In touch on outside, ridden and effort after 3 out, every chance next, one pace approaching last, no impression flat opened 5/1 £2400-£600 £11000-£200(x2) £11000-£2000 £2750-£500 £1800-£400 £1750-£500 | |||||||
| 5th | 9 | 15 Some Target (IRE) | W P Mullins | 7 | 11-6 | Mr P W Mullins | 6/1 |
| SP 6/1 In touch, dropped towards rear 8th, headway under pressure before 3 out, kept on same pace from next, no impression opened 13/2 | |||||||
| 6th | 4½ | 16 Sona Sasta (IRE) | D Pipe | 8 | 11-6 | Mr J J Codd | 11/1 |
| SP 11/1 Tracked leaders, led 3rd to 5th, led again 8th, mistake 13th, headed 3 out, soon ridden, weakened from next | |||||||
| 7th | 13 | 13 Pearlysteps | H D Daly | 8 | 11-6 | Mr T Greenall | 11/1 |
| SP 11/1 Mid-division, driven and outpaced when hit 3 out, never on terms opened 14/1 | |||||||
| 8th | 1¾ | 17 Carlas Dream (IRE) | D P Murphy | 9 | 10-13 | Mr B O'Neill | 200/1 |
| SP 200/1 Held up always towards rear | |||||||
| 9th | 8 | 9 Double Pride | A King | 7 | 11-6 b | Mr D Murphy | 100/1 |
| SP 100/1 Held up behind on outside, headway into mid-division 19th, 7th and outpaced 3 out, soon ridden, weakened before next | |||||||
| 10th | ½ | 3 Arabella Boy (IRE) | E Bolger | 6 | 11-6 | Miss N Carberry | 12/1 |
| SP 12/1 Held up behind, blundered 12th, outpaced when hit 4 out, beaten when hit next, never near leaders opened 14/1 £8400-£600 | |||||||
| 11th | 1¾ | 7 Chamirey (FR) | D McCain Jnr | 8 | 11-6 b | Mr R O Harding | 14/1 |
| SP 14/1 With leader, led 5th to 8th, tracked leaders, outpaced approaching 3 out, soon ridden and weakened opened 16/1 | |||||||
| 12th | 37 | 14 Regal Approach (IRE) | K C Bailey | 8 | 11-6 p | Charles Greene | 50/1 |
| SP 50/1 Mid-division on i9nside, mistake 13th and 20th, ridden and outpaced before 3 out, soon weakened opened 40/1 £60000-£1200 | |||||||
| PU | 1 Aberdale (IRE) | Jonjo O'Neill | 7 | 11-6 t | Mr Alan Berry | 10/1 | |
| SP 10/1 Held up mid-division on outside, lost place 21st, behind when pulled up before 3 out | |||||||
| PU | 6 Captain Americo (IRE) | J Ewart | 9 | 11-6 | Mr A T Duff | 16/1 | |
| SP 16/1 Tracked leaders, joined leader 10th, hit 18th, lost place 20th, behind from 4 out, pulled up before 2 out opened 20/1 £39600-£1200 | |||||||
| PU | 12 On His Own (IRE) | J Howard Johnson | 7 | 11-6 | Mr O Greenall | 33/1 | |
| SP 33/1 Tracked leaders, mistake 20th, soon lost place and behind, pulled up before 2 out | |||||||
| UR | 11 Major Malarkey (IRE) | N A Twiston-Davies | 8 | 11-6 | Mr J T Carroll | 20/1 | |
| SP 20/1 Tracked leaders until unseated rider 3rd | |||||||
| NR | 10 Glenwood Knight (IRE) | D McCain Jnr | 8 | 11-6 | Mr R Burton | ||
Betting Breakdown
Tote Win £5.00 Tote Place £2.30 £3.60 £4.40 Straight Forecast £45.27 Exacta £59.00 Trifecta £1,257.00 Swingers 1&2 £7.00, 2&3 £39.10, 1&3 £20.50
Jackpot £74,164.61 carried forward to Cheltenham, 17th Mar
Placepot £933.20, Pool: £918439.44, 718.42 winning tickets
Quadpot £211.90, Pool: £38065.53, 132.92 winning tickets
Analysis
A race with a great sense of tradition, and it arguably has a bit more of the spotlight in its new place as the opener on day two, as opposed to hidden away on Gold Cup day. This year's renewal saw excellence from both horse and rider, as Derek O'Connor guided CHICAGO GREY to a relatively straight-forward success. Settled at the very back of the field, he popped his fences fairly well, although it's probably fair to say that his fencing is not the most natural thing in the world to witness. However he started to creep into the race at the top of the hill for the final time, and although he had several lengths to find coming down the hill, he was always going to be close enough if good enough. His jockey was brave and went for an inside run around the home turn; he was rewarded with a brave and willing partner, who got the run, and he moved through almost on the bridle to challenge the game Beshabar. A good jump at the last continued his momentum, and he scooted away after the last for a comfortable victory. The runner-up ran a blinder, as after contesting much of the running, he was off the bridle fairly early. However he is nothing if not game and responded to all of Tom David's urgings. Be There In Five was fairly well-held back in third, but having travelled well on the inside for a long way, he still ran a very good race. He didn't look the most obvious contender for the race but exceeded expectations; perhaps a shorter trip will suit next time, but he's very much a promising novice. Alfa Beat was never too far off the pace, leading a chasing group, but he couldn't really pick up when asked. Further back in fifth Some Target never really got into the race, whilst Sona Sasta did best of those who disputed the early pace. Pearlysteps was well-backed but, getting a more patient ride than he has in the past, he never looked like featuring.