Tag Archive for: Jonathan Burke

Burke still full of hope for Queens Gamble at Cheltenham

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Jonathan Burke believes Queens Gamble should not be forgotten if she lines up in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.

Oliver Sherwood’s six-year-old headed to Market Rasen for last week’s Alan Swinbank Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race as the shortest-priced British contender for the Festival bumper following two emphatic victories at Prestbury Park.

However, she lost her unbeaten record when hunted down by Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos and was subsequently eased out to 20-1 by the bookmakers.

The man in the saddle in all of her career starts has explained how he was expecting more of the mare but things did not go to plan in Lincolnshire, with the steady pace of the race against her.

“I was gutted initially,” said Burke. “With the way she has come up the hill at Cheltenham, when I let her down I was expecting her to take off, but she didn’t.

“I was kicking myself thinking should I have held her for longer maybe, but we had gone slow on a completely different track and she just wasn’t seen to her best I don’t think.

“Even at halfway I wasn’t happy, I had it in the back of my head things weren’t happening the way it did at Cheltenham. But she’s fine and if she goes well, I’m sure she will go straight to Cheltenham in March.”

The Listed contest was being run at the third time of asking having originally been scheduled to take place on January 20, before efforts to restage the race the following week also fell foul to the cold weather that played havoc with the racing calendar throughout January.

Burke admits the rescheduling could have played a part in the flat performance, but is backing the course and distance winner to show her true colours if returning to Cheltenham for the third time at the Festival.

He continued: “It probably didn’t help (rescheduling), but it was the same for the others and Paddy (Brennan) and Fergal are just brilliant in bumpers.

“I was gutted as I thought she would take off like she has done at Cheltenham, but maybe it’s just a case she is best seen at Cheltenham. With the mares’ allowance in the Champion Bumper, we’ll have a good go anyway.”

Boothill swoops late to grab Wayward Lad honours

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Harry Fry’s Boothill struck late to down Aucunrisque and record his third victory of the season over fences in a competitive running of the Ladbrokes Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton.

Only four went to post for the Grade Two contest, but the lack of numbers did not effect the quality on show and Aucunrisque shaded affairs at the head of the closely-bunched quartet in the early stages.

Harry Skelton was keen to match strides with Chris Gordon’s six-year-old aboard 13-8 favourite Lac De Constance, but the former champion jockey was unseated following a blunder at the final ditch as the tempo began to increase.

Tom Cannon kept his foot down on Aucunrisque following the departure of Lac De Constance and had opened up a three-length lead over Boothill as the field jumped three out.

But Boothill responded gamely to rider Jonathan Burke’s urgings soon after and edged his way to the front with a fine leap at the last – landing full of running and galloping on to the line to shade the long-time leader by a length.

It was the perfect way for the seven-year-old to get back to winning ways following a respectable effort behind Jonbon in the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase earlier this month and both Betfair and Coral have cut the son of Presenting to 25-1 for a potential rematch with Nicky Henderson’s Arkle favourite at the Cheltenham Festival.

Boothill ridden by jockey J J Burke on their way to winning the Ladbrokes Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase during day two of the Ladbrokes Christmas Festival at Kempton Racecourse
Boothill ridden by jockey J J Burke on their way to winning the Ladbrokes Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase during day two of the Ladbrokes Christmas Festival at Kempton Racecourse (Nigel French/PA)

The winning rider was full of praise for his mount and said: “We probably didn’t go as quick as I thought we would, but I’d say my horse is growing in confidence with every run. He’s showing battling qualities now that he probably didn’t show in the past, so every time he runs he’s improving.

“We’ve bumped into Jonbon before and I’m sure we’ll take him on again, but he’s getting better with every run and his jumping is his thing – he’s jumping so well in his races. Trying to settle him is not easy when he’s jumping as well as that, but he’s battling better than he ever has.

“Because he was keen I took the decision to sit at the back of the four so I could fill him up and if I couldn’t do that I wouldn’t be in contention. Moving to the last, he was going well so it was great. We’ll be keen to take on Jonbon again, we probably won’t beat him but we’re up for the fight.”

Gordon was also proud of the efforts of the runner-up and now has the Grand Annual at Cheltenham in his sights.

He said: “He has run an absolute blinder. It is one of those things – if he was tailed off and came and finished second I would have been really happy.

“When we came around the bend I thought ‘we have got this’ and that is what is painful as a trainer. At the end of the day, when you sit down you’d say he has run a blinder. The owner just mentioned about the Arkle but the Grand Annual might be fantastic for him. I think maybe if they feel they would like to go to Cheltenham, we could put an entry in both of those.

“Hopefully the handicapper is sensible. If they are not sensible it puts you off running horses like this in it (Grand Annual). He scared me with his jumping early on as he is small but he has really got his jumping together, so maybe we can look at a race like that (Grand Annual).”