Resplendent Grey flew late under a copybook Sean Bowen ride to win the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase at Carlisle.
Champion jockey Bowen got a fine tune out of Olly Murphy’s seven-year-old when winning the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Sandown on his final start of last season in April and, after 190 days off, he defied a market drift to win the two and a half-mile Listed event at odds of 9/2.
Handstands, representing red-hot duo Ben Pauling and Ben Jones, cut out much of the running and still held sway at the final fence, but the dangers were looming including Jamie Snowden’s mare Hollygrove Cha Cha.
When her challenge began to peter out down the outside it was left for Resplendent Grey to strike last more towards the far-side rail and he ultimately overhauled the long-time leader under a strong Bowen drive to win by three-quarters of a length.
Paddy Power reacted by cutting the winner to 8/1 co-favourite for the Coral Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Newbury next month.
Bowen told The Jockey Club: “He feels like he has matured a bit. I was wary that Ben’s horse (Handstands) was having a good look, and I didn’t want to challenge too early.
“He picked him up well from the back of the last. It just turned into a sprint and for a horse that has won over three and a half miles, he sprinted pretty well from the back of the last.
“Ben’s horse is a stayer as well, and I was conscious that I would catch him on the hop and when Gavin (Sheehan, rider of the third Hollygrove Cha Cha) came round my outside I said make sure you don’t challenge him too early as he was having a good look. My lad managed to pick him up because he was looking round.
“Hopefully, the Coral Gold Cup is where he’ll go next and that was a lovely prep run.
“I said at the start of the season that I hope he will end up as my Grand National horse. Hopefully he will get there and turn up in that form.”
Cobden and Bramley on target
Earlier on the Carlisle card, the Faye Bramley-trained Paggane made all the running to win the Listed PricedUp.Bet Houghton Mares' Chase.
Harry Cobden's only ride on the day, well-backed 13/8 favourite Paggane jumped well and found plenty for pressure up the final climb to the line, drawing nine and a half lengths clear of main market rival Telepathique (7/4) in second.
Bramley said: “She was my first runner here at Carlisle and it was here that I rode my first winner as a jockey – it’s brilliant and I am just over the moon.
“She is our stable star, and we all love her. I was so lucky to get her when Ronnie, Paul Shanahan and Justin Carthy bought her from an online sale and sent her to me. I was like wow, thank you.
“I was like a kid with a new toy. We gave her a couple of spins on the Flat which didn’t really work out. Then Ronnie, bless him, put his foot down and said the plan is to go chasing. We gave her a bit of a break – she put on a bit more than we expected. So, we ran her in Chepstow and thought she might be a couple of gallops short, but she ran well and finished second which set her up for this race.
“I am only just starting out really and only been training a year, but I was very confident – even if I am yet to tell anybody!
“There are a couple more of these Listed mares' races she could go for now – one at the end of the month at Market Rasen and one next month at Doncaster. I did pop her in the Hennessy (Coral Gold Cup at Newbury) because you never know but the handicapper has put her up a bit and I don’t know what he’ll do now, so we’ll stick to these mares’ races. That was the plan when we bought her.”
Cobden added: “It’s great for Faye Bramley, she has done a really great job with this mare.
“She’s in really good form and was pinging from fence to fence and has done it nicely. She is tough, stays further and is a mare they are going to have a lot of fun with. Those Listed mares’ chases, she is going to do really well in them.
“I am just the man steering and it was a lovely spare ride to pick up.”
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