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Le Patron crowned in Henry VIII

Le Patron (16/1) landed the Grade 1 Betfair Henry VIII Novices' Chase for Gary Moore and David Noonan at Sandown on Saturday.

It was a first top-level success for the jockey but sadly the race was marred by the fatal injury to Paul Nicholls' Iceo.

Sent off the 16/1 outsider of the six-runner field, Moore’s horse had won two minor handicaps prior to stepping into Grade One company.

He jumped like an old hand, especially when it mattered most in the straight, while the favourite JPR One blundered two out and saw his chance disappear.

Colonel Harry stayed on strongly in the straight having been outpaced and briefly looked as if he could make a race of it, however, he could only close to within a length and a quarter.

Noonan said: “It will take a while to sink in and I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to ride a horse of that quality and to go and do it is amazing.

“They were quietly confident beforehand and thought he would run a big race, but whether they thought he would do that or not I don’t know. I’m glad it all worked out.

“Day in, day out you are trucking around to come to these big days and it is brilliant. To have a horse who is competitive and can do the job is even better. Hopefully it is a bit of good advertising.”

Moore said: “It was an ambitious shout, but when a horse jumps like he jumps and goes in soft ground like he does you had to give it a try, especially the way novice chasers are cutting up, but it didn’t really cut up today.

“Full credit to Jamie (Moore) who has done all the donkey work with him and David has given him a lovely ride today. Liz (Avery, owner) got this horse over a year ago and we told her he was a chaser and not a two mile hurdler. That is why he ended up with the mark that he had and thank goodness he is proving us right. Not often does that happen, but it has today.

“It was a concern (dropping back in trip), but when he jumps like he does, and also with the ground being as testing as it was on this track, it probably wasn’t quite so much of a problem. He was getting a nice lead for part of the race as well.

“It is a surprise that he has won a race like this today to be honest with you. He wouldn’t have the pace that Ar Mad had (Moore’s previous winner of the race). He would stay better, and he will come back here now for the Scilly Isles in February.

“The boys will ride the majority of them, but I think David is a lovely rider. He is very underused and underrated. All the time I can use him, and need to use him, I will use him.

“He had been in to come school him in the week, that is the sort of person he is. I don’t know where he lives, but he I don’t think he lives that local. I don’t think he lives around the corner, and he has had to come up and school the horse especially.

“I love Sandown Park and it is the best racecourse in the country. Especially when you get a horse that jumps like he does as it is a great spectacle.

“Liz is an amazing lady. She is in her 80s and she comes in twice a week to see her horses. She has never had children the horses are her babies, and she loves them to bits. She said I might not be around when I suggested this, but I said you will be fine!

Liz Avery, 86, said: “It is quite unbelievable. I just thought this was a step too far at this stage of his career, but it wasn’t. It was just over the last that I thought he would win. Until then you can’t think of anything until the horse jumps over the final fence. I was there when the horse arrived at the stables and Gary said he was a chaser for the future and here we are.

"Gary doesn’t me too much and he manages his owners very well. I’ve been involved with Gary’s yard since 1998 in little syndicates and I’ve been on my own with him for about four years. I’ve had wonderful luck with Gary. This is the best day that I’ve had.”

Truckers completes Nicholls four-timer

Truckers Lodge rolled back the years to secure what Paul Nicholls described as a ‘great day’ after completing an across the card four-timer for the champion trainer with a game success in the Betfair Exchange London National Handicap Chase in the concluding race at Sandown Park.

The evergreen 11-year-old showed he still retains plenty of ability at the right level to add to the Ditcheat handler’s successes he enjoyed with Liari and Sonigino at Aintree and Isaac Des Obeaux at Chepstow.

Given a well judged ride by Freddie Gingell the 11/2 chance demonstrated the best of battling abilities to master topweight Beauport by a length and a half following a sustained battle after the last in the extended three and a half mile stamina test.

Nicholls, speaking from Aintree, said: “We had four winners in the end so it has been a great day. To be honest I thought Golden Son was the best chance of them all but unfortunately he ran no sort of race.

“I really thought Truckers Lodge would win today as he had the right conditions and right trip. Everything was in his favour.

“He is eleven going on twelve and he has lost none of his enthusiasm. Winning a race like that today for him is like winning the Gold Cup. It wouldn’t matter he never won another race as today’s result was some achievement. Freddie has given him a great ride as well.”

Although Paddy Power shortened Truckers Lodge into 16/1 for the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on December 27 Nicholls hinted he might target the Westerner gelding at the Classic Chase at Warwick next month instead.

Nicholls said: “He has run well in the Midlands National before and the Welsh National. The owners were not that keen to go to the Welsh National, and before today we were thinking of going hunter chasing but he can’t now.

“I think the Welsh National will come too soon for him. I could look at the Classic Chase with him as he loves heavy ground, and he stays longer than the mother-in-law.”

Booster gets the job done

Booster Bob ensured trainer Olly Murphy’s fleeting trip to Sandown Park was made worthwhile before dashing up the M40 to watch his beloved Aston Villa take on Arsenal in the Premier League after securing the most notable success of his career in the Betfair Claremont Novices’ Hurdle.

Arriving on the back of a brace of novice hurdle victories at Uttoxeter the 5/6 favourite completed a hat-trick of wins for the campaign when revelling in the testing conditions, similar to those he encountered on his previous start, in the opening Listed event.

Having sat at the back of the three runner field for much of the two mile prize the odds-on favourite threw down his challenge between the final two flights, however he looked booked for second at best with Helnwein opening up in front on the run down to the last.

Responding well to pressure Booster Bob slowly started to erode away at Helnwein’s advantage before hitting the front inside the closing strides and going on to score by a length and three quarters.

Murphy said: “I was never happy. I didn’t think he jumped great for him. He loves that ground, but they went very steady and turned it into a sprint which wouldn’t have suited him.

“He has got a lot of ability and he handles that ground well. I don’t think he did a lot right today. He is one to look forward to and he will be a lovely chaser next season. I think you can massively mark the performance up. I don’t think that hood suits him now.

“When you go steady in a tactical race sat in last of three is not the best place to be. He was very free as a bumper horse, and he has come a long way in a short period of time.

“Sean said it was attritional. He is a good jumper and he could barely get out of that ground.”

Although Booster Bob was trimmed into 25/1 for for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March by Paddy Power the Wilmcote handler insisted that is unlikely to be on the agenda with the Grade Two Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle at Haydock Park as his next target.

He said: “As in big fancy targets do I think he is a horse for the Supreme, no is the answer. He is an out and out chaser. He will probably go to Haydock for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle trial at the end of January on bad ground.

“I think he is crying out for two and a half miles. He raced well today, but he can race with the choke out and I would be worried about going two and a half miles just yet.

“I won’t blow his mind this season. If we had a bit of slow ground at Aintree we could look at something like that.

“It probably does (put him top of the pile of novice hurdlers) on what he has achieved, but I think we have got nicer and that is not being smart.”

Pretending lands one for Wadham

Pretending went from playing a supporting role to taking centre stage after belatedly opening her account over jumps at the seventh attempt in the Betfair Supports Racing With Pride Mares’ Handicap Hurdle at Sandown Park.

After filling the runner’s up spot in three of her previous six starts over hurdles the Make Believe filly looked set to collect at Fakenham 19 days before taking a tumble at the penultimate flight, however there was to be no stopping the Lucy Wadham-trained four year old on this occasion.

Despite having her momentum checked with an untidy leap at the second last the 3/1 chance continued to find plenty for pressure under Tom Cannon before reeling in long time leader Another Day Out and passing the post with a length and three quarters in hand.

Wadham said: “She stayed well on the flat as she was a mile and a half filly on the flat. You couldn’t be confident (over this trip) first time on this ground, but she is very hardy. She is a (Sir Mark) Prescott graduate.

“She had to work hard to get back on terms between the last two hurdles, then they both missed the last slightly and she ground it out very nicely. She is tough.

“We managed not to win with her last season, but she is a much stronger filly this season. She was really like two boards slapped together last season and she came straight off the flat into a jumping season. She has had a summer on her back and has just matured.

“It was a very novicey mistake at Fakenham for a horse that had run five times over hurdles, but she was very good today.

“We are only rated 103 so we will have to work our way up the handicap so we will be looking for another mares handicap race.”

Manna in heaven for Lacey

Tom Lacey heaped plenty of praise on up and coming rider Cameron Illes who continued his blossoming relationship aboard Operation Manna after the pair made it a hat-trick of victories together this season in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle at Sandown Park.

The seven-pound claimer rode like a jockey with a vast amount of experience when time his run to perfection aboard the progressive seven-year-old in an attritional renewal of the extended two miles seven-furlong test.

Victory looked to be heading the way of the Robert Walford-trained Hititi who skipped a few lengths clear on the run down to the second last after sweeping past long time leader On The Blind Side, one of two runners in the race for Nicky Henderson alongside Chantry House.

Biding his time aboard the 5/2 favourite Iles moved his mount level with Hititi half way up the run in before getting the Champs Elysees gelding up almost on the line to score by a neck.

Lacey said: “It was more when we tried him over this trip at Chepstow that he came back and he was very flat so I don’t think he went into the race in the best of shape. He is just a horse that has benefitted from another year under his belt.

“He is just game and he loves that ground. He jumped really well out of it. All credit to the jockeys as they were sensible, and they have to be when the ground is like that.

“I watched a couple of races yesterday and I was confident if he was good enough he would get there as it is a long way up that hill. He has run three times and won three relatively quickly.

“The horse deserves a break especially after going three miles around there. We won’t be in a rush to run him until the end of January. You would look for something similar.

“Cameron is doing okay. He is a good patient rider. He has got to keep working hard. If complacency sets in he will soon find himself sweeping yards.

“We had a good chat before he went out and I rammed it into him to just wait and don’t even think about riding a race until jumping the last and it has worked out lovely.”

Although Operation Manna was introduced at 14/1 for the Pertemps Network Final at the Cheltenham Festival in March Lacey admitted he was unlikely to make an appearance in the race.

Lacey said: “We will see what the handicapper does and he would be borderline to get in the Pertemps and it is not something I have got my heart set on.

“We will possibly go chasing next season as he jumps well.”

That's the Spirit

Spirit D’Aunou secured the Heart Of The South Racing syndicate with an early Christmas present after resuming his progression in the Rachael Blackmore Serial Winners Fund Handicap Hurdle, but those coffers could be further swelled before the big day later this month according to connections.

Although failing to reward his supporters on his comeback when sent of favourite for the Masterson Holdings Hurdle at Cheltenham in October the Triple Threat gelding made up for that disappointment when making it five wins from seven starts over hurdles in the extended one mile seven furlong prize.

And following Spirit D’Aunou’s three and a half-length success, which completed a double for trainer Gary Moore, his son, and assistant, Josh Moore, hinted that the Betfair Exchange Trophy, which he was trimmed from 14/1 into 7/1 by Paddy Power, at Ascot on December 23rd could be next up.

Josh Moore, assistant trainer, said of the 4/1 winner: “The ground probably wasn’t soft enough at Cheltenham and they went very slow, and he was very keen early. It was his first run of the season, and he was very fresh.

“He looked well beaten coming down the hill, but he hit the line good, and it is always good when a horse hits the line well at Cheltenham and finishes well there.

“This was the race we had planned to go for and hoped it would be soft ground. With the benefit of the run we hoped he would be less keen and I’m glad it has worked out.

“As Niall (Houlihan) said he arrived there too soon, but he had no other option because there was nothing else to take him further forward.

“We will look towards those competitive two mile handicap hurdles for the rest of the season and we hope it will be really soft ground on those days as he is better on it. Bad ground and a stiff two miles is right up his street.

“He is in the Betfair Exchange Trophy at Ascot, and that comes fairly soon, but if he is fit and well and conditions are right he will go there.

“The weights are already out for that so hopefully he won’t get too badly affected, but that would be the next step at this stage.”

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