THE FESTIVAL-CHELTENHAM 2020 – DAY 1
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- 11 March 2020
Sumptuous Shishkin lands the Supreme
Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
Shishkin
The Nicky Henderson-trained Shishkin made it three victories for four starts over hurdles with a thrilling victory in the £125,000 G1 Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Ridden by Nico de Boinville, the 6/1 shot stayed on strongly up the Cheltenham hill to eventually get the better of an engaging battle with the Gordon Elliott-trained Abacadabras (11/4), to register a head success in the two-mile opener to The Festival™ presented by Magners. Shishkin’s stable companion Chantry House (15/2) was a further 11 lengths back in third.
Seven Barrows maestro Henderson, drew level with Willie Mullins as the most successful trainer ever at The Festival with his 65th victory.
Shishkin, a £170,000 purchase at Tattersalls Cheltenham in 2018, was providing Henderson with a fourth victory in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle following on from Altior (2016), Flown (1992) and River Ceiriog (1986).
Henderson, whose stable star Altior was ruled out of tomorrow’s G1 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase said: “I couldn’t see where Shishkin had got to and Barry looked to be in the right sort of place. Nico looked to be in the right sort of place coming to the last. Shishkin has got those gears and he needed them today to get out of the trouble he had got into. It was no fault of Nico’s – he has given the horse a wonderful ride and has done well to get out of there. I think we know he is pretty cool round here.
“Chantry House has run a great race and both he and Shishkin are two gorgeous horses for the future. We have a lot to look forward. They have won point-to-points and I would think chasing is where we will go.”We say it every year that something will come up and bite you, and sadly it was Altior that has had to stay at home. He is one of the more powerful shots but this was great and all of our horses have run well.”
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1.30pm Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 1 Shishkin (Marie Donnelly) Nicky Henderson 6-11-07 Nico de Boinville 6/1 2 Abacadabras (Gigginstown House Stud) Gordon Elliott IRE 6-11-07 Davy Russell 11/4 3 Chantry House (J P McManus) Nicky Henderson 6-11-07 Barry Geraghty 15/2 15 ran 9/4 favAsterionForlonge (4th) Distances: hd, 11 Tote Win: £7.80 Places: £2.70, £1.60, £2.70 Exacta: £35.30 Nicky Henderson – 65th winner at The Festival Nico de Boinville – 11th winner at The Festival |
Kettle steams in
Put The Kettle On
Put The Kettle On proved a 16/1 winner of the G1 Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy for trainer Henry De Bromhead and owners the Dermody family of County Kilkenny. Their mare, who was ridden by Aidan Coleman, won by one and a half lengths from Fakir D’oudairies (3/1), with Rouge Vif (9/1) another 18 lengths back in third. The unplaced 5/2 favourite was Notebook, a stablemate of the winning mare.
De Bromhead said of Put The Kettle On, the first mare to win the ‘Arkle’ since Anaglogs Daughter in 1980: “I’m delighted, especially for the Dermody family, and Mary Dermody who is such a good owner. Aidan rode her brilliantly and said she attacked every fence, and she had the course-and-distance form from last year [she won the G2 Racing Post Arkle Trial at The November Meeting] so wasn’t to be underestimated.
“Notebook was our more fancied runner, but this mare keeps improving. For a mare that won a 116 beginners’ chase at Kilbeggan she’s come a long way. She had been busy all last summer and then topped it off with victory here in November, so we said we would back off her, give her a break and then come here. We thought about the novices’ handicap chase at the end of today over two and a half miles, but felt two miles would suit and opted for this race. She seems to handle any ground and Aidan said she loved this ground.
“Notebook was disappointing, and I just noticed that when Cash Back dropped out we dropped out too. It crossed my mind that they had a tough race together in the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown. Notebook’s best form is on better ground, and while we were a bit unlucky with the delayed start he behaved very well.”
Mary Dermody, who was at the racecourse with her sons John and Michael, explained the mare’s name by saying: “It’s just something that is commonly said at home. People come to visit and we say, ‘put the kettle on’. We chose Henry to train for us because he is a winner. I’ve always liked horses and we’ve bred a few, but we’ve never had one as good as this.”
Her son, Michael said: “We drink a lot of tea at home! Henry has done a fantastic job but we didn’t think we would end up here at The Festival. She was under the radar, but we were confident she would run a big race.”
The Dermodys bought their mare for €20,000 as an unbroken three-year-old. De Bromhead said: “Every horse Mary has is mad, and that includes another mare we had before that who was as mad as a hatter. This mare was prancing around at Goffs [the bloodstock sales company] and standing up on her hind legs, and my wife Heather and I looked at each other and said, ‘That’s the mare for Mary!'”
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2.10 pm Racing Post Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 1 Put The Kettle On (One For Luck Racing Syndicate) Henry de Bromhead IRE 6-10-11 Aidan Coleman 16/1 2 Fakir D’oudairies (J P McManus) Joseph O’Brien IRE 5-11-04 Mark Walsh 3/1 3 Rouge Vif (Kate & Andrew Brooks) Harry Whittington 6-11-04 Gavin Sheehan 9/1 11 ran 5/2 fav Notebook (6th) Distances: 1½, 18 Tote Win: £18.60 Place: £3.30, £1.60, £2.50 Exacta: £81.30 Henry de Bromhead – 8th winner at The Festival Aidan Coleman – 3rd winner at The Festival |
Eight not out for Henderson
G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle
EPATANTE
Nicky Henderson extended his exceptional record in the G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle to eight when Epatante took the two-mile championship contest under Barry Geraghty, for whom it was a fourth, record-equalling, success in the race.
2/1 favouriteEpatante, a six-year-old mare by No Risk At All, is the fifth of her sex to win the Champion Hurdle, and the first since Annie Power in 2016. She beat the Willie Mullins-trained Sharjah by three lengths.
Henderson said: “It’s a nice race, isn’t it? It goes back such a long time since the first one, which was I think was 1985 [See You Then], so it’s quite a long time.
“She was always travelling and you were always quite pleased with where she was. Barry gave her a beautiful ride. He always just had it covered and she has the gears.
“I was worried a bit after last year, when she didn’t run well in the mares’ novice hurdle, and she fell to pieces afterwards. She went home to [owner J P McManus’s stud] Martinstown – I sent her there looking awful and she came back looking fantastic, a million dollars
“We have been very lucky to have those sort of good horses. J P should have had last year’s winner in the race [EspoirD’Allen] and [2017 and 2018 winner] BuveurD’Air, who is back at Martinstown with a hole in his foot, so this would have been his third string.
“She’s as good as she looked the only two times she’s run this year. The big worry was when she came here last year and I thought she’d win, and she didn’t show up. Sophie Candy rides her every single day of the year, and she deserves great credit.”
It was a ninth success in the race for J P McManus, whose 69th birthday it is today.
Epatante’s win gave Henderson a 20/1 double so far today, following Shishkin’s victory in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
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3.30pm Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) 1 Epatante (J P McManus) Nicky Henderson 6-11-03 Barry Geraghty 2/1f 2 Sharjah (Susannah Ricci) Willie Mullins IRE 7-11-10 Mr Patrick Mullins 16/1 3 Darver Star (SSP Number Twenty Two Syndicate) Gavin Cromwell IRE 8-11-10 Jonathan Moore 17/2 17 ran Distances: 3, 3¾ Tote Win: £2.70 Places: £1.90, £5.30, £2.70 Exacta: £47.40 Nicky Henderson – 66th winner at The Festival – now the leading trainer of all-time at The Festival. Barry Geraghty – 39th winner at The Festival |
Victory tastes so sweet for Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle
It was billed as one of the races of the week and the £120,000 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle served up a treat for racegoers as 9/4 shot Honeysuckle defeated Benie Des Dieux in a thrilling renewal of the G1 event.Honeysuckle, ridden by Rachael Blackmore and trained by Henry de Bromhead, was always prominent in the two miles and four furlong event and stayed on gamely in the closing stages to fend off the sustained challenge of 4/7 favouriteBenie Des Dieux, trained by Willie Mullins, by a half-length.De Bromhead, registering a 54.25/1 double on the day following Put The Kettle On’s 16/1 success in the G1 Racing Post Arkle Novices’ Chase, was also enjoying a ninth success overall at The Festival™ presented by Magners.
He paid tribute to Honeysuckle, who is now unbeaten in eight starts over hurdles and is a four-time G1 winner, as well as rider Rachael Blackmore, registering her third winner in total at The Festival.The County Wexford handler, who also had the option of running Honeysuckle in the G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle 40 minutes earlier, said: “I’m delighted with Honeysuckle – it was a superb performance to go and beat Benie Des Dieux.
“It was [a] very close [decision] in fairness and thankfully we came up with the right race between us. What a ride – my God, the way she got up the inside coming around the last turn. It was two amazing ladies together.”Paul [Townend, aboard Benie Des Dieux] opted to go the other way and I think Rachael had to sit and suffer, to be fair. Suddenly, the gap appeared and she was gone. It’s fantastic. She kind of threw herself at the last – Rachael wasn’t sure and left it to Honey and she gave it a lash. She really toughed it out up the hill.”The way she won her maiden hurdle, she looked nice. We let them try and develop in the track and see if they can work their way up, so you wouldn’t be trying to find out too much at home. She always looked nice and was strongly recommended to us after she won her point-to-point.”We will enjoy to today and see. It’s amazing for her to do it. I didn’t mind the ground for her, I was probably more concerned for Notebook, and the day she won in Fairyhouse at the start of the season was really testing ground.”
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4.10 pm Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 1 Honeysuckle (Kenny Alexander) Henry de Bromhead IRE 6-11-05 Rachael Blackmore 9/4 2 Benie des Dieux (Susannah Ricci) Willie Mullins IRE 9-11-05 Paul Townend 4/6f 3 Elfile (Kenny Alexander) Willie Mullins IRE 6-11-05 Danny Mullins 16/1 9 ran Distances: ½, 6½ Tote Win: £2.90 Places: £1.20, £1.10, £2.40 Exacta: £3.90 Henry de Bromhead – 9th winner at The Festival Rachael Blackmore – 3rd winner at The Festival |
Sweet smell of Honeysuckle success for Blackmore
Rachael Blackmore, tipped to win this week’s Holland Cooper Ruby Walsh Trophy for the leading jockey at The Festival, got off the mark when riding Honeysuckle to victory in the G1 Close Brothers’ Mares’ Hurdle.Trained by Henry De Bromhead in County Waterford for owner Kenny Alexander, Honeysuckle (9/4) beat the 4/6 favouriteBenie Des Dieux by half a length, and there was a further six and a half lengths back to third-placed Elfile (16/1), a stablemate of the runner-up.Benie Des Dieux was travelling marginally the best on the final bend, but Blackmore slipped through on the inside and appeared to get first run on the favourite. In typically modest fashion she played down the move, saying: “That was just the way it worked out.”
She added: “This means so much. This mare is so special – Colman does an unbelievable job with her and Emma looks after at home as well. It’s those people who you need on your side looking after a mare like this. They have done an unbelievable job with her. Henry has produced her in tip-top shape every day she has run. I am the lucky one who gets to steer her round.
“I was travelling well to the second-last and then became kind of forced in, but I knew that I had plenty of toe at the back of the last. It’s a big week and I am delighted. You kind of realise early in the day that these winners are so hard to get, so I am so lucky to be riding all these horses.”It’s every jockey’s dream to be in the position I’m in, and Cheltenham is what it is all about.”
Mullins blames ‘miscommunication’ for Benie’s defeat
The hotly-anticipated duel between Honeysuckle and Benie Des Dieuxmaterialised in the G1 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, with the Henry de Bromhead-trained Honeysuckle holding off Willie Mullins’ Benie Des Dieux by half a length.Nine-year-old Benie Des Dieux, the 4/6 favourite under Paul Townend, won this race in 2018 but fell at the final flight last year when looking the likely winner.
A nonplussed Mullins said: “I think there was a miscommunication turning for home; maybe Robbie [Power, riding the Mullins-trained Stormy Island] thought that one of our horses was behind him, rather than Honeysuckle. It looked like he just gave the winner a huge gap while Paul was going round the outside. Things happen. We won’t want to watch that again!
“Our mare [Benie Des Dieux] ran well. Stormy probably didn’t go fast enough to take the sting out of it; she needed to go much faster. There wasn’t enough pace. I’m a little frustrated, but we’ve got sound horses and sound jockeys, and hopefully we’ll get a turn at some stage. We’ve got some nice prize-money, we’re just not hitting the bulls-eye.”
Danny Mullins rode Elfile, also trained by Willie Mullins, into third place, half a length behind Benie Des Dieux, at odds of 16/1.Danny said: “That was a solid run. We thought her form in Ireland was decent enough to be placed in this and she has confirmed that. A good run behind two very good mares.”
Elliott climbs the hill to winner’s enclosure
Gordon Elliott enjoyed the bonus of a winner on day one of The Festival, knowing he has some fabulous cards to play as the week progresses.
RAVENHILL
Elliott’s Envoi Allen will start a very hot favourite for tomorrow’s G1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, but the trainer teed up for a possible victory in that race when saddling Ravenhill (12/1), ridden by Jamie Codd, to win the National Hunt Chase, beating runner-up Lord Du Mesnil (11/2) by two and a quarter lengths. Third-placed Lamanver Pippin (33/1) was 28 lengths further back, while the 10/11 favourite, Carefully Selected, fell at the final fence when looking most unlikely to trouble the first two.
Elliott, who had saddled two seconds earlier on the card by virtue of Abacadabras and Galvin, said: “To have a winner there was wonderful, and especially for these owners [Try Ravenhill Syndicate] who have supported us for a long time.
“Jamie gave him a great ride, and just hunted away giving the horse time. He travelled brilliantly. Jamie is a star and I’m very lucky to have him riding for me.
“The Irish National closes tomorrow, so we’ll enter Ravenhill for that and he’ll go straight there.
“Tomorrow is our big day, while today was our hardest day and we knew it would be tough to get a winner, so I’m delighted. There’s lot to look forward to, but I’ll have no trouble sleeping because I always sleep well.”
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5.30pm National Hunt Chase (Amateur riders) (Grade 2) 1 Ravenhill (Try Ravenhill Syndicate) Gordon Elliott IRE 10-11-06 Mr Jamie Codd 12/1 2 Lord du Mesnil (Paul Porter, Mike & Mandy Smith) Richard Hobson 7-11-06 Mr Sam Waley-Cohen 11/2 3 Lamanver Pippin (Donna Christensen) Colin Tizzard 7-11-06 Mr William Biddick 33/1 14 ran 10/11 fav Carefully Selected (UR) Distances: 2¼, 28 Tote Win: £12.70 Place: £2.80, £1.90, £7.70 Exacta: £69.30 Gordon Elliott – 26th winner at The Festival Mr Jamie Codd – 10th winner at The Festival |
The Coddfather delivers on Ravenhill
He is dubbed “The Coddfather” and Jamie Codd did not disappoint his legion of backers with a well-timed ride aboard 12/1 shot Ravenhill in the concluding race on day one of The Festival™ presented by Magners 2020, the £120,000 G2 National Hunt Chase.A first success of the week for Codd and trainer Gordon Elliott, Ravenhill displayed a tremendous attitude to see off long-time leader Lord Du Mesnil (11/2)with a two and a quarter-length win in the three miles and six furlong event.This was Codd’s 10th winner overall at The Festival and a third winner in the National Hunt Chase following on from Le Breuil in 2019 and Cause Of Causes in 2015.
Discussing the victory, Codd said: “We really liked this horse. He was fifth in a Galway Plate and second in a Kerry National and he sneaked into this race as a second-season novice.”Gordon Elliott is a genius. He was originally going to run in the Kim Muir, but Gordon decided he wanted to go for this race. I told him to decide and wherever he went, he was going to be a great ride.”I think his experience in his career really helped. Cause Of Causes finished second in a Kim Muir the year before he won this race.
Lord gives everything for Waley-Cohen
Ravenhill (12/1) gave his amateur rider Jamie Codd a third win in the G2 National Hunt Chase, the final race on day one of The Festival™ presented by Magners 2020.It was a first win for Gordon Elliott at the 2020 Festival, after near misses earlier in the day with Abacadabras and Galvin.
Runner-up Lord Du Mesnil (11/2) lost nothing in defeat, going down by two and a quarter lengths after leading for most of this 3m 6f contest. Richard Hobson’s consistent seven-year-old did not return to the winner’s enclosure post-race, but his pilot Sam Waley-Cohen reported he was fine after his brave effort, saying: “He was a bit wobbly immediately after the race but he’s fine now. The team here cooled him down quickly and he walked back in fine.
“He was brilliant, brave and full of courage. I just couldn’t get him up that hill in front. He did nothing wrong, I thought we had it and then I spotted Jamie [Codd] coming. You would love to ride him in a National.”
Lord Du Mesnil holds a Randox Health Grand National entry.
Third place went to the Colin Tizzard-trained Lamanver Pippin (33/1), beaten a further 28 lengths and ridden by multiple British point-to-point champion rider Will Biddick.Biddick said: “Colin said he would run well, and he did. I thought coming down the hill I had a chance, but the leading pair just went away from me.”He hadn’t run since November so credit to the Joe and Colin [Tizzard] for preparing him for today.”
