A review of the jumps action from Ascot on Sunday as trainer Tody Lawes claimed his first winner at the course and Tom Bellamy struck gold in the juvenile hurdle.
'He is a good fun horse'
Tom Bellamy might still be unlucky in love, but the in-form jockey continued to prove he is the man with the Midas touch in the saddle after steering King Al to glory in the Sodexo Live! Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.
Since tasting his first Cheltenham Festival winner aboard White Noise for Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle earlier this month, the 31-year-old has been in scintillating form on the racetrack.
And that purple patch continued aboard the Alan King-trained four-year-old who battled back after being headed after the last to secure his second success over hurdles in the £40,000 feature prize.
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For a fleeting moment it looked as though the gelded son of Al Kazeem was going to settle for second best after being passed by Gallivanted, but the 10/1 chance was not to be denied after getting back up half-way up the run in before prevailing by a neck.
Bellamy said: “The horses are running so well and as a jockey that makes your life so much easier. This particular horse was talked about as a Triumph Hurdle horse before he run over hurdles.
“We have learnt about him all the way through. He won on the flat on soft so we just assumed he would handle cut over jumps, but it is a different thing altogether. He won at Ludlow when it was soft, but I made the running and picked my way around.
“We were on nice ground today and that was the way to ride him to get on with it. He likes to be pushed along by the others.
“He jumped well, bar one which he looked at. He is quite tricky as you have to keep the revs up on him. Over the last I was on no stride, but I trusted him enough and he was good and accurate. He knows how to battle and how to win.
“I was always going to hold on, but I don’t know what would have happened if there was another half-a-furlong, would he pulled a bit more, possibly, but would the other one have flashed by, that is also a possibility.
“He is a good fun horse and he has found his level. That was a good pot to win today.
"No (mum’s advertising for a girlfriend has not come off yet), but all in good time!”
Laying down the Lawes
Toby Lawes celebrated his first Ascot winner after Gnomon carried the colours of owner Andrew Wates to glory 30 years on from Rough Quest doing likewise in the Grand National.
The Time Test gelding, who is owned by Wates and his wife Sarah alongside Gt Racing, went one better than his three previous starts in the Ascot Racecourse Supports Horse Rangers Hampton Maiden Hurdle.
Sent off the the 4/7 favourite on his first try over and extended two miles three furlongs the odds-on favourite did not disappoint when cruising past long-time leader The Egyptian Ginge up the run-in before scoring by a length and a half. And following the win Lawes admitted he will now take aim at the £100,000 bet365 Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle at Sandown Park on the final day of the season.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsLawes said: “I’m so pleased to get a winner in Andrew’s colours at Ascot. His son and children own a third of the horse as well so it is a great family affair. The step up in trip was always going to be a benefit for him. I didn’t want to go up in trip for a maiden unless it was for a bit of a pot, but this race came up and it was absolutely perfect.
“His plan is to go to Sandown Park for the novices’ championship final handicap hurdle at Sandown Park. A lovely stiff two miles I think will suit him well. We discussed the Sandown race for about five minutes before we bought him! He is a tough horse that stays very well and he is the right sort of horse to have a crack at it with."
An outing at either Aintree or Punchestown could still be on the agenda for the Lawes-trained Klimt Madrik, who finished a respectable eighth in the Grade One Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival earlier this month.
He added: “He has come out of the Albert Bartlett very well. We schooled him over fences last week, which was great as he was absolutely immaculate.
"He could run again this season if the ground was soft enough. We will keep the chasing for the autumn and potentially look at Aintree or Punchestown if the weather was right."
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