Not So Sleepy on his way to victory at Sandown

Fighting Fifth report and free video replay as Not So Sleepy lands Grade 1

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Sat December 09, 2023 · 2y ago

Hughie Morrison's 11-year-old Not So Sleepy won the rearranged Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Sandown on Saturday.

With Constitution Hill and Shishkin taken out of the race by Nicky Henderson due to the heavy ground just four runners went to post for the rescued Grade 1 from Newcastle with Love Envoi the highest rated on official ratings at 153.

She had the mares' allowance as well, but was struggling at an early stage and although she rallied to get herself into contention it was Not So Sleepy who raced the most efficiently.

There's somewhat of an irony to that statement given how headstrong he was earlier in his career, but he has relaxed as he's got older and he was by far the most professional in this race, travelling through the contest much the best in conditions he relished.

He got a nice tow into things from an attacking Goshen, too, and when that horse's goose was cooked it was left to Not So Sleepy (9/1) to fight off the attention of the two mares.

You Wear It Well was one of them but she tired in the closing stages, leaving Love Envoi to take the runner-up spot, but Not So Sleepy bounded away relatively spring-heeled like to win by eight lengths.

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Morrison said: “I suppose you could see why Nicky didn’t want to turn up! That was a Grade One and those mares are Grade One mares and Goshen should have won a Grade One. He has dead-heated in a Grade One and when conditions are right he is a Grade One horse.

“We are thrilled. This is the race we have aimed for since Newbury so it is a great relief that we are here. It is great for the team really. Raj who leads him up and rides him every day, and gets run away with every day, keeps it simple every day. He (Not So Sleepy) is a legend. This is his tenth season racing and he has lost none of his enthusiasm.

"He is better than ever. I think Lord Blyth was more keen to keep going. As he ran so well at Newbury we thought we would have another go at this. He is a magnificent horse. He is a legend. He is an absolutely unique horse. He runs away with his jockey every day and we can’t take him to half the gallops as he will plant himself, but he was in the mood today. He looked really well.

"Funnily enough in the Cesarewitch he didn’t look as well as I had hoped he might have done. He obviously looked well at Newbury and if you saw him in the paddock today you would have thought he looked magnificent. I thought coming to the second last we had got it won then I thought we were beat, but Sean said as soon as they came to him he picked up again. The reason he can keep going is that you don’t know how good he is.”

Owner Lady Blyth said: “I was surprised when nobody even thought about him in this race today. He was such big odds this morning. He was huge.

“I wanted to retire him this season, and perhaps run on the flat, but Hughie persuaded me to have another go at this.

“It is absolutely brilliant. We will watch the replays over and over again I expect.”

Harry Fry was pleased with the seasonal reappearance of Love Envoi who rallied to take second.

He said: “I think watching that most of the way around we are quite pleased to finish second to be honest. She didn’t look to be going at all really, but we have got her season started and we can build from here.

"We have got either the Relkeel Hurdle on New Year’s Day at Cheltenham or we comeback for the mares’ hurdle that she won last season here. This is just a starting point. We would have love to have won, but from when she jumped off I’m quite pleased to be standing here in second place.”

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