Half Dozen reasons to be happy for Nicholls at Hereford

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Paul Nicholls wondered if Half Dozen had a problem after Harry Cobden’s mount was a market drifter ahead of the Black Mountain Botanicals Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at Hereford.

Yet the strapping six-year-old made light work of his nine rivals in the two-mile heat, scoring by a length and a half at odds of 8-1.

The champion trainer said: “We thought his leg had fallen off, because he drifted from 4-1 to 10-1 or something.

“We thought he had a nice little chance, but he has just been big and backward, needed lots of time and experience.

“He was very keen early in the season, he just wants a bit of time. He will make a nice chaser next year.”

Honneur d'Ajonc/Hereford
Honneur d’Ajonc gave the Jane Williams yard another success at Hereford (Simon Milham/PA)

Jane Williams has enjoyed plenty of success at the track in recent weeks and Honneur d’Ajonc (100-30) took the spoils in the Hereford Motor Group Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase in the hands of David Noonan.

A trio were in with a chance at the last, but the six-year-old forged clear to go one better than he had at Leicester a month ago.

The Devon handler said: “He isn’t very big, but he is agile. He is a classy horse by Diamond Boy. I’d like to find a few more of them.

“I bought him in the July sale as a two-year-old. He was inexpensive, because he was small, but he was a very good juvenile. We took an extra year, because we didn’t think he’d be a chaser, but in fact, he’s been a fabulous chaser.

“Patrick Waldron, who has just come into racing ownership, his colours only just arrived and he had a winner with his first runner. How about that! That’s a lucky owner – that’s what we want, lucky owners!”

Only The Bold
Only The Bold was an easy winner for Fergus Gillard and trainer David Pipe (Simon Milham/PA)

Only The Bold (2-1) followed up his impressive chasing debut at Bangor in November, defying a 10lb penalty under Fergus Gillard and powering to a five-length success in the Ely Memorial Fund Handicap Chase.

Winning trainer David Pipe said: “This is a lot better ground than he had at Bangor and it probably happened quick enough for him today, but Fergus was patient on him. They went a good gallop and they did it nicely in the end.

“There are no big plans for him. He is not over-big, so whether he will jump round the big tracks or not, I don’t know. We’ll see. He is by Jeremy and a typical one by him. He beat (Grade Two-winning hurdler and chaser) Tommy’s Oscar in his point-to-point.

“We’ll what the handicapper does and obviously he is still a novice as well.”

Galop De Chasse/Hereford
Galop De Chasse gave Venetia Williams a welcome winner at her local track (Simon Milham/PA)

Galop De Chasse came with a well-timed run under Charlie Deutsch to claim the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Handicap Chase, beating Rose Sea Has by a comfortable length and a half in something of a rough two-mile race.

Venetia Williams, who was ending a surprising 20-runner barren spell, said: “He has been knocking on the door for quite a long time, with seconds and thirds, so it is great to come to the local course and get his head in front. It was quite a competitively-run race.”

Atlanta Brave (5-6 favourite) followed up his recent Chepstow success, relishing a step up in trip to take the Cazoo Novices’ Hurdle by a cosy three-quarters of a length success from Hauraki Golf.

Kerry Lee’s string is in great heart and the strapping five-year-old looks every inch a chaser in the making.

Lee said: “He is such a lovely horse and is a delight to train. He is so easy to do anything and everything with.

“He is quite far forward for his age and size, because he is a very big horse, and you can only imagine he will improve with age and experience.

“I wanted to give him another relatively low-key run, but we will look at a bigger prize in the spring. He is a three-mile chaser in the making, so anything we do now is bonus territory.”

The wait goes on for jockey Denis O’Regan, whose bid to complete a full set of victories at jumps tracks in Britain and Ireland saw him draw a blank with his two rides.

“We’ll just keep chipping away and hope we get there one day,” he said with a customary smile.

Bennys King/Hereford
Bennys King gave Heidi Palin her first winning ride under Rules (Simon Milham/PA)

It was a red-letter day for Heidi Palin, who gained her first success under rules when Bennys King caused a 20-1 shock in the hunter chase, beating Magic Saint by three-quarters of a length.

Diverge books Supreme ticket with Punchestown romp

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Diverge gave High Definition’s form a major boost ahead of this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival with a wide-margin victory in the opening race at Punchestown on Monday.

One-time Derby favourite High Definition made a smart start to his hurdling career at Leopardstown over the Christmas period and is set for an intriguing clash with Facile Vega in the Grade One Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle on Sunday.

Diverge was beaten 20 lengths into sixth place by High Definition on what was his Irish debut, and on the strength of that form he was a 10-11 favourite to open his account for Willie Mullins in Punchestown’s Bar One Racing “Best Odds Guaranteed All Races” Maiden Hurdle.

Those who took the cramped odds will have had few concerns for the duration of the two-mile contest, with the five-year-old son of Frankel pulling 23 lengths clear of his nearest pursuer Mon Coeur – leaving Mullins to consider a possible tilt at the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

“He did it well and improved a lot from the last day,” said the champion trainer.

“We changed the tactics as he was very free in Leopardstown. I said to Paul (Townend) ‘don’t be fighting him too much’. We thought there might be enough pace in the race, but our fella just seemed to want to jump past Danny (Mullins, on Stellium) so Paul let him on and let him enjoy himself. He loves jumping.

“He has entries at Cheltenham and we’d probably be looking at the Supreme. Any horse that wins his maiden by 23 lengths on his second run has to. He looks like he’s booked a place on the team anyway.”

Haxo and Danny Mullins return to the Punchestown winner's enclosure
Haxo and Danny Mullins return to the Punchestown winner’s enclosure (Gary Carson/PA)

The Closutton handler doubled up in the Bar One Racing ‘We’ll Lay You A Bet’ (C & G) Maiden Hurdle – but it was his apparent second string Haxo who claimed top honours.

Sir Argus was the 4-11 favourite under Townend, but he was reeled in on the run-in by 7-2 chance Haxo and Danny Mullins, who was also completing a double of his own following a dead-heat victory aboard Princess Zoe, trained by his father Tony.

“For jumping Haxo deserved to win that and that’s what won it for him in the end,” Willie Mullins added.

“He’s a second-season novice and jumped really well. He’s a nice type and looks a chaser in the making.

“Sir Argus, I think, just lost his confidence after his fall the last day in Clonmel. He’s done plenty of schooling, but on the racecourse he seems to have lost his confidence. We’ll have to keep him schooling and try to get him back right.”

Plenty of encouragement to take from Ga Law run despite late exit

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Jamie Snowden has plenty of positives to take from Ga Law’s Sky Bet Chase run after a late fall denied him success at Doncaster on Saturday.

The seven-year-old went into the race as the 3-1 joint-favourite, a status owed in no small part to his victory in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November.

That win saw him carry top-weight of 12st on Town Moor for his first attempt over three miles, with Jonathan Burke in the saddle as he was at Cheltenham.

Ga Law was handling both the burden and the extended trip with aplomb when approaching the final fence level with eventual winner Cooper’s Cross, but a slightly low jump saw him brush through the fence and fall.

Both horse and rider got to their feet and as Ga Law picked up a few nicks his trainer will take stock before planning his next outing.

Ga Law winning the Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase
Ga Law winning the Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase (David Davies/PA)

“He’s OK, he was coming to either win his race or finish a very good second, which would have been a great run off that kind of welter burden for his first time over three miles,” said Snowden.

“He definitely stayed. It’s always a shame to come down at the last and nobody knows what would have happened, but he certainly would have been either first or second. It’s a great shame but it was a hell of a run under that kind of weight, we’re pleased with how he ran but of course disappointed with the result.

“He stayed well and was running a big race, we’ll just get him right and see where we are from there.

“He sustained a couple of small cuts so we will get those sorted out, get him back schooling and see where we want to go.

“We had a few plans up our sleeve had he won, but I think for now we’ll get him right, he’ll tell us how he is and we can go forward from there.”

Williams taking direct Gold Cup route with Royale Pagaille

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Royale Pagaille is back in work and will head straight to the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup after recovering from injury, trainer Venetia Williams has confirmed.

The Rich Ricci-owned nine-year-old was runner-up to Bravemansgame in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, staying on nicely under Tom Scudamore in the three-mile Grade One event.

Winner of the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock last season, he went on to finish fifth to A Plus Tard in the Gold Cup and has had just two starts since.

He was somewhat fortunate to claim second place on his last run, with Williams’ other runner, L’Homme Presse, unseating Charlie Deutsch at the last fence when a close-up second.

However, the run can be marked up a little, given that Royale Pagaille sustained an injury in the race.

Williams has now run out of time to give him a Gold Cup prep, for which he is a 40-1 chance with Coral.

Speaking at Hereford on Monday, the trainer said: “Royale Pagaille is fine. He needed time after the King George because he got a wound which wasn’t superficial, so that’s why it has taken quite a while.

“He is back on the gallops now and he will go straight to the Gold Cup. We haven’t got time to go for anything else.”

Princess Zoe has to settle for dead-heat on jumping debut

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Princess Zoe had to settle for a share of the honours on her jumping debut at Punchestown, after a dead-heat finish to the Bar One Racing “Bet 10 Get 50 Sign Up Offer” Mares Maiden Hurdle.

The Tony Mullins-trained grey has been a fantastic servant over the past four years, with a Group One triumph in the 2020 Prix du Cadran the highlight of a Flat career that also saw he win the Group Three Sagaro Stakes at Ascot and finish second to Subjectivist in the Gold Cup.

She looked set to be retired for broodmare duties in 2023, but failed to meet her reserve price at the Tattersalls December Sale, prompting connections into a rethink.

Following a pleasing schooling session last week, Princess Zoe was given the green light to give hurdling a go with a view to a potential appearance at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Despite her exploits on the level, she was not even favourite for her first start in the National Hunt sphere, with the Willie Mullins-trained Pink In The Park preferred at a shade of odds-on at 10-11.

The top two in the market were the first two in the race for much of the two-and-a-half-mile journey, with 5-4 chance Princess Zoe asserting into a clear lead on the second circuit under Danny Mullins.

Having jumped adequately in the main, the eight-year-old looked to have victory sewn up after travelling strongly into the straight, but she flattened the final flight, giving Henry de Bromhead’s Ladybank – carrying the Honeysuckle colours of Kenny Alexander under Rachael Blackmore – a real shot on the run-in.

There was nothing to choose between the pair on the approach to the winning line and they flashed by as one. After a tense wait, the judge confirmed he could not split them and declared a dead-heat.

Paddy Power make Princess Zoe a 16-1 chance for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, which appears likely to be her target over the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

Tony Mullins with Princess Zoe at Punchestown
Tony Mullins with Princess Zoe at Punchestown (Gary Carson/PA)

And Mullins, who admitted to being nervous about whether his stable star would take to the jumping game, is confident there is more to come from her ahead of the Festival.

He said: “We’re very happy with her. Danny said he thought she was a little guessy on her own at one or two of them.

“At the moment we’re thinking of the mares’ novice at Cheltenham but it’s not definite. It looks the logical way as opposed to the Albert Bartlett.

“I thought she was a little gassy having not run for a while. That might have emptied her a little.

“We had all her work done at home but she needs that run to bring her to herself. Danny said when she was gassy early on he’d let her go to the front and then she just had nothing with her. I think it was a very good performance to jump out and make all.”

He added: “I’m very happy with her. She’s taken to jumping and she’s brave, usually they might be ducking at hurdles but she didn’t do any of that.

“I don’t think she’ll run again before Cheltenham.”

Looking beyond the Festival, Mullins is not ruling out the possibility of Princess Zoe reverting to the Flat for some of the major staying prizes later in the year.

Tony Mullins with Princess Zoe at the 2020 Galway Festival
Tony Mullins with Princess Zoe at the 2020 Galway Festival (PA)

He added: “Paddy (Kehoe, part-owner) has always said to me that as long as she’s able to run breeding is only secondary to him. Who am I to complain?

“It’s great for the likes of me because we’ll never have the likes of her again. She’s just a great mare.

“Something did happen last year (on the Flat), we never noticed in her work but maybe Kyprios is such a powerhouse that it emptied her.

“Every time we thought we were going to get back and show him but we never did. I’d say Kyprios is one of the all-time greats, that’s what I think. We might have another go at him.”

Weveallbeencaught poised for Leopardstown raid

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Nigel Twiston-Davies is prepared to take on the might of the Irish with Weveallbeencaught at this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown.

While the Naunton handler has enjoyed multiple victories at the Punchestown Festival over the years, he has saddled just one previous runner at Leopardstown, with Moorish finishing down the field in the richly-endowed Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle some 25 years ago.

Weveallbeencaught, a £210,000 purchase after winning an Irish point-to-point, made a successful debut for his new connections in a Newbury bumper last season and made a promising start over hurdles when third behind subsequent Challow winner Hermes Allen in a Grade Two at Cheltenham in November.

The six-year-old went on to justify favouritism in a maiden hurdle at Prestbury Park on New Year’s Day, beating Saturday’s Cheltenham winner Rock My Way, and will step up to Grade One level in the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors “50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff” Novice Hurdle.

“That’s the plan. It was good to see the horse that was second to him winning at Cheltenham on Saturday. We’re very happy,” said Twiston-Davies.

“The owners wanted to go to Ireland. We’re going to have a crack and we’ll see how we do.”

Weveallbeencaught is an 8-1 shot with Paddy Power for the Dublin Racing Festival curtain-raiser, with Barry Connell’s Good Land heading the market at 2-1.

Other likely contenders for the two-mile-six-furlong contest on the opening afternoon include Henry de Bromhead’s Hiddenvalley Lake, the Paul Nolan-trained Sandor Clegane and American Mike from Gordon Elliott’s yard.

Goshen back for second try over the larger obstacles at Lingfield

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The multi-dimensional Goshen has another chance to tackle the larger obstacles when he lines up at Gary Moore’s local track Lingfield on Tuesday.

Already proven on the Flat and over hurdles, the seven-year-old made an eagerly-awaited chasing debut at Ascot on his seasonal bow – but struggled on ground quicker than ideal to trail home well beaten in third.

Since then he has thrived over hurdles in his two most recent outings, winning the Ascot Hurdle before finishing a brave second on a first try at three miles in the rearranged Long Walk Hurdle on Boxing Day.

But with an engagement during Lingfield’s Winter Million weekend lost to the weather and Moore searching for suitable options before Wincanton’s Kingwell Hurdle on February 18, Goshen has a second bite of the chasing cherry in the At The Races App Market Movers Beginners’ Chase that only has a maximum field of three.

“It will be a bit of fun won’t it,” said Moore.

“It’s such a great track for a novice and is just down the road – we thought why not? The next race over hurdles he can run in is at Wincanton, otherwise it is the stayers’ route and he isn’t going to win a Stayers’ Hurdle.”

Goshen is rated 18lb higher than both Christopher Wood and Quel Destin that stand in opposition, and Moore hopes the race will give a good indication of whether the seven-time hurdles winner has a future over fences.

“We shouldn’t really be trying to win a novice chase this year should we,” he continued. “But it will tell me if he’s good enough to go back over fences next year or not.

“We could have done with some rain really for him, it’s not really soft enough for him. But listen, if he can’t jump round there (Lingfield), he won’t jump round anywhere.

Goshen ridden by jockey Jamie Moore goes onto win the Virgin Bet Contenders Hurdle at Sandown Park racecourse last year
Goshen ridden by jockey Jamie Moore goes onto win the Virgin Bet Contenders Hurdle at Sandown Park racecourse last year (Steven Paston/PA)

“It’s not the way round he likes going but with only three runners he has to take his chance. The cheekpieces are on just to keep him a bit more focussed.

“If it was the other way round he would take a lot of beating, but left-handed and the ground being on the good to soft side might not be a help to him, he would be better on softer going.”

Lavelle points to lack of pace in Cleeve Hurdle as factor in Paisley Park defeat

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Emma Lavelle believes a lack of pace was a major factor behind Paisley Park’s unsuccessful bid for a fourth successive victory in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday.

The popular stayer was beaten nine and a half lengths into third in the Grade Two contest as French raider Gold Tweet caused a minor upset in the Cotswolds.

Next on Paisley Park’s agenda is a fifth tilt at the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival – a race he won in 2019 and has finished third in the past two seasons behind Flooring Porter.

The 11-year-old is a 20-1 shot to regain his crown with the race sponsors, but Lavelle is hopeful with a stronger gallop he can make his presence felt.

“He’s come out of it well. He seems good in himself, ate up overnight and seems absolutely fine,” said the Wiltshire-based trainer.

“I just think the fact that he was so close to the pace and travelling so comfortably suggested they just weren’t going quick enough for him to make it a test at the end of the race.

“There’s a myriad of reasons you could use or think or see, but for me they just hadn’t gone quick enough for him and Aidan (Coleman) slightly felt the same thing. He asked him, but wasn’t unreasonably hard on him coming up the hill, so we’ll just head on to the Stayers’, all things being equal.”

Gordon Elliott’s Galmoy Hurdle winner Teahupoo is the 11-4 favourite in a Stayers’ Hurdle market dominated by the Irish, with Home By The Lee, Blazing Khal and Flooring Porter all prominent, although the latter is far from certain to bid for the hat-trick following a recent setback.

Assessing the field, Lavelle added: “It does look wide-open and I think it always does going into that race. Teahupoo is a new one on the scene, obviously.

“With more runners at the Festival, they’re likely to go more of a gallop so we’ll see how we go.

“He’d had two hard races already this season before Saturday, but we can freshen him up now and get him back in March.

“He’s such an extraordinary horse and has been so good to us you can never be disappointed in him. Of course you want to win, but you can never walk away disappointed from those races as you know he’s always trying for you and we’ll see what comes next.”

Ryanair remains on Morris’ radar for French Dynamite

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The Ryanair Chase remains a possibility for French Dynamite following his second in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase at Thurles earlier this month.

Mouse Morris’ eight-year-old has enjoyed a good season to date, winning on his reappearance over hurdles and then going down by less than a length in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November.

He followed that by showing up well for a long way in the Savills Chase at Leapordstown over Christmas, before dropping back in trip to chase home Fakir d’Oudairies in Grade Two company most recently.

Leopardstown Races – Sunday 7th March
French Dynamite, here winning over hurdles at Leopardstown, could be a live outsider in the Ryanair Chase (Niall Carson/PA)

Having settled on the two-and-a-half-mile distance, it now appears that ground conditions could be the determining factor on whether Morris’ charge gets a shot at the Ryanair at the Cheltenham Festival – a race for which he is a best price of 33-1 with bet365.

“I thought French Dynamite ran a cracker on difficult ground,” said Morris.

“He is a good ground horse and I think that distance (two and a half miles) is bang on.

“I have a plan if the ground is good and we’ll have to think about something like the Ryanair Chase, but will have a meeting first to decide.”

Sean Quinlan speaks of real struggle with new whip rules

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Sean Quinlan has called for trainers to support the riding ranks in pushing for further discussion with the British Horseracing Authority over imminent changes to the whip rules.

Revised regulation is due to be fully implemented from February 13, with the very worst whip offences resulting in disqualification of horses and riding bans of 20 days – a tariff which will be doubled in class one and two races.

The BHA had initially proposed to prohibit the use of the whip in the forehand position – but reversed that decision following discussions after outcry from jockeys, instead opting to cut permitted use of the whip to six and seven strikes in Flat and jump races respectively, whilst also toughening up the penalty structure.

Using the whip above shoulder height will incur a four-day ban when the rules are properly introduced, with a soft launch currently in place with riders advised of what would constitute future breaches and what penalty they would have been given.

Quinlan claimed he would have been banned for 51 days over the last week as he tries to refine his riding technique, but feels further conversation is needed with the BHA as he is not the only member of the weighing room struggling to stay within the new framework.

He told Sky Sports Racing: “I’m trying my best. I’ve done it for 20 years and used my whip – but now with this new rule apparently I’m breaking the rules with my hand coming above head height. 

“I am trying. I’ve had a few trainers and a few owners telling me I’m not actually riding to the best of my ability and it is affecting me a little bit. I actually threw my stick away in the last race as you’re just thinking about it the whole time. 

“It’s playing on every one of us. Brian Hughes is champion jockey and very rarely gets a whip ban, he’s been in and out of the stewards’ room – we all have. 

“We’re trying our best, but something needs to be done. I would have got 51 days last week, I’ve been called in six or seven times. 

“You’re trying to win a race for an owner but then you’re trying not to get banned for something that has been working for 20 years and now you’re not allowed to do it. 

“My action makes me get back to hit the horse in the right place. If I don’t use that action, I’m going to be catching the horse short. I’ve used that action and never had any problems with it. 

“We’ve got to keep on discussing with the BHA and we just need a lot of support from trainers.”

The whip review committee will be responsible for handing out suspensions under the new system. At its first meeting earlier this month 28 individual riders were referred and one jockey having contravened the rules enough to merit his mount being disqualified.