“He’s a Rolls Royce of a horse,” smiled David Christie after John Hegarty and Jennifer O’Kane’s Vaucelet had justified odds-on favouritism to take the Pertemps Network Champion Chase (Horse & Hound Cup) in the hands of Barry O’Neill...
Vaucelet and last year’s victor, Law Of Gold, drew clear round the home turn, and after jumping the last upsides the Irish raider pulled away to score by four lengths.
“You never come here confident, only hopeful,” said David, explaining that the travelling and changes involved need to be taken into account, while his charge was also unsuited by the early pace. “He’s a proper stayer who only comes alive after two and a half miles, so the stronger the pace the better – they went so slow early on that it affected his jumping.”
Immediately after weighing in Barry, a member of the Tattersalls Ireland bloodstock team, was off to the airport in readiness to ride the following day at Dromahane, where another double increased his overall tally of 700+ winners by a couple more.
30 minutes before Vaucelet’s triumph, Barry had worn the same colours when giving a masterclass to win the Pointtopoint.co.uk Champion Novices’ Chase (John Corbet Cup) on stable companion Ask D’Man. At the back of the field until four out, the chestnut was still only third at the last, where he nodded on landing, but he got up to prevail by a neck from the gallant long-time leader, Go Go Geronimo.
“He hated the ground,” reported his trainer. “He’s an awkward ride, whether he’s going left or right-handed, and the plan was to drop him out, but he never travelled – it was only his jumping that kept him in it. Barry and I have a discussion, but I never give him instructions – he does his own thing. When you’re Point-to-Point champion rider in Ireland you’re something else, and Barry showed exactly why he’s won the title five [soon to be six] times.”
It was the first time for 34 years that a trainer had achieved the prestigious Horse & Hound/John Corbet double, the last to do so being Mercy Rimell with Three Counties, under daughter Katie, and Deep Prospect (Matt Sheppard).
It was a day to remember for 16-year-old Freddie Gordon, although having to sit a Chemistry GCSE that morning was undoubtedly the least favourite bit of it! Freddie, with ten victories between the flags to his name, was presented with the Wilkinson Sword, awarded to the most successful man not to have partnered a winner prior to the start of the season, and he rounded off his day by taking the White Swan Hotel Handicap Chase on Zamparelli for owner Sarah Dawson and trainer Tor Collins.
Zamparelli, who is often ridden at home by Tor’s partner Oliver Dale, Master and huntsman of the North Cotswold, had his task made easier when his closest pursuer, Peacocks Secret, who had beaten him on this track in April, barely lifted a leg at the final ditch three out. Alex Chadwick made a miraculous recovery but his race was run, and Zamparelli cruised to victory.
Connections had been confident of a good run, with Sarah opining that the ten-year-old’s BHA rating of 114 was “ridiculous – he’s a lot better than that. He would have been partnered by Darren Andrews had he been able to make the weight, but Chris [Freddie’s father], Tor and I go back a long way from our Hampshire days,” explained Sarah, “so we asked Freddie to take the ride.”
Chris, now a successful licensed trainer, himself won the John Corbet on Sheriff’s Friend in 2003, the same year that wife Jenny took the Horse & Hound on Bitofamixup. “That was only Freddie’s second outside ride,” pointed out Jenny, “and both of them have won.” The other being the prolific veteran Tempelpirate at Kingston Blount.
There was some slight consolation for Alex Chadwick and Dale Peters, trainer of Peacocks Secret, when both rode winners at Dingley the following day.
Gina Andrews drew level with Tristan Durrell at the head of the Hunter Chase riders’ table when Fumet D’Oudairies, trained by her husband Tom Ellis and owned by the five-strong D’Oudes Partnership, won the Nimrod Veterinary Products Ladies’ Open Final. “He was always flat out and not travelling, so I didn’t think Natalie [Parker, on Caid du Berlais] was coming back, but when I got to the front he just went,” elucidated Gina.
“He’s a horrible ride at home,” said Tom. “Gina’s always glad to get back in the yard when she takes him out!” This opinion was verified by Gina’s brother Jack, who had combined with his sister to buy the French-bred for £800, and who still occasionally rides him out to give Gina a break from him! “He’s very small, but he seems to grow when he gets in the paddock because he knows he’s good,” added Jack.
A disappointing four runners contested the Llewellyn Humphreys Restricted Point-to-Point Chase, the top three in the betting all being taken out, and it was the outsider of the party, Say About It, who had previously had a less than inspiring flat career with Stan Moore, who prevailed from the only other finisher, the odds-on Spanish Jump.
“It was a moderate race,” admitted owner-trainer Roy Smith, “but we didn’t come here to finish second!” His description of Say About It, the only horse in his yard, as a “family horse, a lovely quiet ride,” is borne out by the fact that his octogenarian mother, Marlene, also rides him at home!
Roy, who laughingly says “My wife Jackie puts up with me, somehow!” gets up at 5am to ride out five days a week. He was due to make an early start the next day as well, but on this occasion to go on holiday to Majorca.
“I was a thick bugger at school,” confessed jockey Vinny Webster, “so I joined the Military in Ireland for two years, but horses were all I wanted to do so I came to England five years ago.” Vinny, who rides out in the mornings for Victor Dartnall, had one success in 2019, but lockdown put paid to rides until the end of the 2021 campaign. However, fatherhood obviously suits him, as since the end of February, when his daughter Willow was born, he has booted home seven winners.
Trainer Syd Hosie and jockey George Hiscock have a better then 50% strike rate in Hunter Chases this year, and they teamed up again to take the PPSA Open Chase with Across The Line, a £28,000 purchase two months ago from Dan Skelton’s yard. “Money well spent,” beamed Syd, “and it’s a lot cheaper to train them than to pay someone else to do it,” referring to the fact that, until recently, he had done just that!
Pushed out, of necessity, under hands and heels, George having dropped his whip in the closing stages, Across The Line finished strongly to narrowly deny the leader Azzuri in the dying strides. “He jumped and travelled really well, and he does try,” said George, while Syd felt the race had come just in time. “He was just about boiling over at home, so he needed to run,” he stated.
Syd’s colleague Anthony Knott, who hit the headlines some years ago with his Hunt Ball, has been trying to persuade George to take out a Category ‘B’ licence so that he can ride against professionals, but a non-committal “We’ll see” is all that George would admit to.
Georgie Nicholls looks to have a smart prospect on her hands in Patanita, who won the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Bumper under an ice-cool ride from Peter Bryan. “I was beginning to wonder when he was going to make a move,” laughed Georgie, “but he’s given him a lovely education.” Peter, from a family steeped in racing (think not only Bryan, but Bowen), currently works for Archie Watson, but rides out regularly for Georgie.
Patanita was purchased by Ray Anderson Green, one of the four owners comprising the Large G & T Partnership. “I’ve got him to prepare for a career under Rules,” explained Georgie, “but the owners will give him time, so he’ll have another season Pointing, which I’m delighted about.”
The Amateur Jockeys’ National Hunt title presentations were made on the evening by Chief Executive Sarah Oliver. The Ladies’ champion was Gina Andrews, with runner-up Lucy Turner, while the Men’s award went to Tristan Durrell, with Ben Bromley in second place. Both men are planning to turn Conditional before next season.