Xcitations gives Pam Sly plenty to celebrate at Sandown
Xcitations jumped with aplomb under Jack Andrews at Sandown to make it four wins from seven over fences.
The Pam Sly-trained gelding drew well clear of joint-favourites Corrigeen Rock and Frero Banbou in the Unibet Horserace Betting Operator Of The Year Handicap Chase.
Sly’s runner had been beaten Elixir De Nutz by a neck on his last run at Doncaster and the runner-up franked that form with an easy success at Wincanton half an hour before flag-fall at Sandown.
Though they all appeared to have a chance three out, Xcitations was always cruising on the outside of Corrigeen Rock.
By the time Grey Diamond unseated when about to challenge two out, 3lb claimer Andrews had the race in the bag and the 7-1 chance came home with nine lengths to spare.
Xcitations, who received a 20-1 quote from Paddy Power for the Grand Annual at Cheltenham in March, has not been easy to keep sound, as Classic-winning handler Sly explained: “Every time he ran last season he was lame afterwards.
“He won his last two, but it wasn’t until the third lot of X-rays that we discovered he had fractured his pedal bone.
“He’s a nice horse and I’ve always thought that, but as to the future, well I’m not keen on going to Cheltenham.
“We bought the mare in Ireland and there are two more of her foals to run, by Telescope and Dartmouth.
“When I saw he was 16-1 in the betting last night I couldn’t believe it.”
I Have A Voice was put into a handicap on his last run following a runaway Southwell Juvenile Maiden Hurdle success and was well held.
Back down into calmer waters of the two-mile Unibet Extra Places Every Day Juvenile Hurdle, the Nigel Hawke-trained Vocalised four-year-old proved much too good for his three rivals.
The Molly and Paul Willis-owned I Have A Voice, sent off a 17-2 chance, made all the running and drew clear between the last two flights under 3lb claimer Tom Buckley.
He went on to score by 17 lengths from Mombasa, with Gary Moore’s 4-11 favourite Bo Zenith a bitterly disappointing third, having been under pressure approaching the second-last.
Hawke said: “At the end of the day we can’t do any more than win, he’s a fit horse that knew his job, he’s genuine and he jumps.
“Let’s get him back (home) and see what the handicapper does. He will need to go up if he’s going to Cheltenham, but what I would say is he wants this (soft) ground.”
Connections of Bo Zenith, who arrived at the Horsham yard on the back of an impressive win at Auteuil in a race where the form had worked out well, were left scratching their heads.
Moore said: “Jamie (Moore) said he needed the run but was generally disappointing.
“He did have a setback and maybe I’ve rushed him to get him here, thinking he could win when he’s 80 per cent fit?
“He’s grown since he arrived at the yard and I might not have done enough with him. He’s a big, raw horse who has never been away and done a gallop.
“With hand on heart, I think you can draw a line through that run.”
Certainly Red, dropped in trip, followed up his Wincanton success over three miles and a furlong, outstaying his rivals in the Read Nicky Henderson’s Unibet Blog Handicap Chase.
The drop to two and a half miles proved no detriment to the lightly-raced nine-year-old, who stalked long-time leader Gemirande and Precious Elanor, before jockey Marc Goldstein made his move after the Pond Fence and took it up at the penultimate obstacle.
Though running down the final obstacle, the Lydia Richards-trained and bred 9-1 shot quickly galloped clear of Gemirande to score by six and a half lengths.
Richards said: “The owners (Venetian Lad Partnership) go back to Double M, who won 13 races, and I have two older brothers of this fellow, Good News and Venetian Lad, and they won nine races each.
“I knew he would stay the two and a half (miles) as the weather went our way when it rained this morning.
“At the bottom of the hill I knew he would stay and nothing would come to get him from the back.
“In fact, he can bounce off better ground because he’s so genuine, and he goes on anything.”
