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Hunt Ball Lands Pulteney Novices’ Chase
13/03/12

1 Hunt Ball 13/2 Fav
2 White Star Line 14/1
3 Owen Glendower 33/1
4 Battle Group 33/1
20 ran Distances: 8l, 2l, 1l
TIME 5m 5.90s (slow by 7.90s)

Hunt Ball capped a fairytale season when running away with the concluding Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Handicap Chase under top weight of 12 stone.

Hunt Ball
© Racehorse Photos

The seven-year-old ran at Cheltenham in April last year with a rating of 69 and he is set to be raised again from his current mark of 142 after this success, his seventh this season.

Keiran Burke was saddling a Festival winner in his first season as a trainer, having scored as a jockey last year on Holmwood Legend in the Byrne Group Plate. It was also a first Festival winner for jockey Nick Scholfield and an emotional owner, Dorset farmer Anthony Knott.

“I can’t believe it - it’s another dream come true for me,” said Burke. “It happened to me last year and I don’t know why it has happened to me again. Knotty’s been winding everybody up all day and he is an absolutely brilliant owner.

“The horse definitely won’t run here on Thursday, I’m putting my foot down, and I don’t know where we’ll go. There’s been talking of the Topham Trophy at Aintree but I’m not sure I want to risk him there, he’s my pride and joy along with my baby boy.

“There’s still a bit more improvement to come from him, he definitely wants further as they went too quick for him today. You wait until you see him next year, he will have filled out and improved more. Maybe he might be a National horse.

“Peter Brookshaw had him before me and I rode him here last year, he was pretty fat and just not very fit. I’m just lucky to have him in the first place.

“I wasn’t confident before he ran at Kempton but last time but after that I wanted to come here.”

Knott added: “I told you we had two stone in hand and he did what I thought he could do. Some Liverpudlian pundit said that he was going to lay it - he hasn’t got a clue what he was talking about, saying it couldn’t jump left - if he wants to know what a proper horse is, he will see one there.

“I told you all along that he was still in the wrong race - we could have taken the Gold Cup! I can’t get this into my head - what I said would happen has come true. I just hope everybody here backed it and skinned the bookies big-time!

“I can’t express myself, I felt sick. I didn’t think that I would be able to go home because even the paper boys had backed it. I thought that I would ever be able to go back to Dorset if it lost.

“Bugger the cows! I told everybody that this one is a machine and that’s exactly what he is. I just hoped everybody lumped up and cleaned up.”

British Horseracing Authority head of handicapping Phil Smith was on hand to congratulate Hunt Ball’s connections. “It just shows that when horses win, we don’t stop them winning in the future. They have campaigned the horse very openly so well done to connections,” said Smith. “He is the best improvement of a horse I have seen by a country mile. He was due to go up 3lb today, so technically he was 3lb well in, so he’ll have to go up considerably more than that and I’d guess he’d have to go out of handicaps and run in graded races now.”

Position	Horse Trainer	Jockey Weight	Starting Price Beaten Distance
1	Hunt Ball K Burke	Nick Scholfield 12st 0lbs	13 - 2 Winner
2	White Star Line D T Hughes	Bryan J Cooper 11st 7lbs	14 - 1 8 lengths
3	Owen Glendower N J Henderson	A Tinkler 11st 9lbs	33 - 1 2 lengths
4	Battle Group D Pipe	T Scudamore 11st 10lbs	33 - 1 1 length
5	Ackertac N A Twiston-Davies	S Twiston-Davies 11st 6lbs	14 - 1 2 1/2 lengths
6	Carrickboy Miss V Williams	Aidan Coleman 11st 5lbs	8 - 1 Head
7	Quincy Des Pictons A E Jones	James Best 11st 9lbs	33 - 1 8 lengths
8	Vino Griego G L Moore	J E Moore 11st 4lbs	20 - 1 1/2 length
9	Harpsy Cord J T R Dreaper	A E Lynch 11st 4lbs	16 - 1 1 1/4 length
10	Bless The Wings A King	R Thornton 11st 10lbs	7 - 1 1 length
11	Triolo D'Alene N J Henderson	B J Geraghty 11st 7lbs	7 - 1 5 lengths
12	Mic's Delight V R A Dartnall	D F O'Regan 11st 7lbs	14 - 1 3 lengths
13	Falcon Island C L Tizzard	J Tizzard 11st 10lbs	66 - 1 7 lengths
14	Saint Are Tim Vaughan	R Johnson 11st 12lbs	33 - 1 16 lengths
15	Going Wrong Ferdy Murphy	D N Russell 11st 11lbs	9 - 1 5 lengths
16	The Panama Kid J M Jefferson	Harry Haynes 11st 12lbs	100 - 1 1 1/2 length
17	Cucumber Run N J Henderson	David Bass 11st 4lbs	40 - 1 1 1/2 length

SCHOLFIELD HAS A BALL WITH FIRST FESTIVAL WINNER

Jockey Nick Scholfield took another step towards establishing his position among Britain’s senior riders when riding his first Festival winner.

The Devon-born rider, 22, a former novice champion of the point-to-point circuit (in which his dad, Philip, was a senior title-holder), won the Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Handicap Chase on Hunt Ball, trained by Keiran Burke for owner Anthony Knott. When Hunt Ball won at Wincanton recently Knott jumped on his back as Scholfield rode him into the winner’s enclosure - and was fined by the stewards for his exuberance.

Scholfield said: “Hunt Ball is a remarkable story and his owner Anthony Knott is so passionate about racing and his horses - he goes over the top some times, but he loves his horse.

“Hunt Ball didn’t jump quite as well as he can today, but it was a more competitive race run at a faster pace. When I came to two out he came back on the bridle and picked up. It’s a great job by Keiran Burke to get him here so fresh and well.

“He’s got a few pounds to find to be competitive in a race like the Gold Cup, but at least the dream is still alive.

“It’s a very special moment for me - you watch all the other winning jockeys riding into this winner’s enclosure and you think ‘when is my day going to come?’, but thank God it has.”

Scholfield’s happy day was soon tainted, however, when the stewards deemed he had used his whip four times when clearly winning, breaking a well-established rule that has not been affected by recent changes relating to the whip. The jockey was given a six-day ban from March 27 to April 1 inclusive.

EDUCATED EVANS

Educated Evans fell at the second last in the Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Handicap Chase and broke his near hind leg. He was humanely put down.

PULTENEY LAND INVESTMENTS NOVICES’ HANDICAP CHASE
PAST RESULTS

2011-WINNER-DIVERS 7-11-04 Owner-The DPRP Divers Partnership; Trainer-Ferdy Murphy; Jockey-Graham Lee; SP-
7/1
2ND-Quantitativeeasing 6-11-11 Owner-J P McManus; Trainer-Nicky Henderson; Jockey-Barry Geraghty; SP-7/1
3RD-Tullamore Dew 9-11-11 Owner-Give Every Man His Due; Trainer-Nick Gifford; Jockey-Liam Treadwell;
SP-13/2
4TH-Vino Griego 6-11-05 Owner-C E Stedman; Trainer-Gary Moore; Jockey-Jamie Moore; SP-20/1
20 ran, Time 5m 7.50s, Dist 2¾, 2, 1¼ 3/1 Fav Definity (5th)

2010-WINNER-COPPER BLEU 8-11-01 Owner-Alan Peterson; Trainer-Philip Hobbs; Jockey-Richard Johnson; SP-12/1
2ND-Othermix 6-11-00 Owner-Power Panels Electrical Systems Ltd; Trainer-Tom George; Jockey-Paddy Brennan; SP-50/1
3RD-The Midnight Club 6-11-01 Owner-C C R Racing Syndicate; Trainer-Willie Mullins IRE; Jockey-Paul Townend; SP-16/1
4TH-China Rock 7-11-03 Owner-Michael O’Flynn; Trainer-Mouse Morris IRE; Jockey-Niall Madden; SP-9/1 20 ran, Time-5m 12.50s, Dist-3½ , ½, 3¾ 6/1 Fav Rivaliste (7th)

2009-WINNER-CHAPOTURGEON 5-10-11 Owner-David Johnson; Trainer-Paul Nicholls; Jockey-Timmy Murphy; SP-8/1
2ND-Isn’t That Lucky 6-10-07 Owner-Valda Burke; Trainer-Jonjo O’Neill; Jockey-Richard McGrath; SP-11/1
3RD-Crescent Island 6-11-02 Owner-Sarah Bays Jill Scott Sarah MacEchern; Trainer-Nigel Twiston-Davies; Jockey-Paddy Brennan; SP-25/1
4TH-Northern Alliance 8-11-04 Owner-Irish Rover Syndicate; Trainer-Tony Martin IRE; Jockey-Ruby Walsh; SP8/1 20 ran, Time-5m 16.44s, Dist-9, 2¼, 6 15/2 Fav Kia Kaha (10th)

2008-WINNER-FINGER ONTHE PULSE 7-10-12 Owner-Conor Clarkson; Trainer-Tom Taaffe IRE; Jockey-Barry Geraghty; SP-9/1
2ND-Barbers Shop 6-10-13 Owner-The Queen; Trainer-Nicky Henderson; Jockey-Mick Fitzgerald; SP-12/1
3RD-Possol 5-10-06 Owner-Neville Statham; Trainer-Henry Daly; Jockey-Mark Bradburne; SP-25/1
4TH-Fleet Street 9-10-12 Owner-Henry Ponsonby; Trainer-Nicky Henderson; Jockey-Andrew Tinkler; SP-66/1 20 ran, Time-5m 10.2s, Dist-nk, 1½, nse

2007-WINNER-L’ANTARTIQUE 7-10-11 Owner-Mary Durkan; Trainer-Ferdy Murphy; Jockey-Graham Lee; SP-20/1
2ND-Bob Hall 6-10-09 Owner-J P McManus; Trainer-Jonjo O’Neill; Jockey-Noel Fehily; SP-10/1
3RD-Wee Robbie 7-10-13 Owner-P H Betts (Holdings) Ltd; Trainer-Nick Gifford; Jockey-Leighton Aspell; SP-20/1
4TH-Rasharrow 8-10-10 Owner-Ashleybank Investments Limited; Trainer-Len Lungo; Jockey-Keith Mercer; SP-14/1
19 ran, Time-5m 10.70s, Dist-2, 2½, 4 7/2 Fav New Little Bric (7th)

2006-WINNER-REVEILLEZ 7-10-11 Owner-J P McManus; Trainer-James Fanshawe; Jockey-Tony McCoy; SP-9/2 Fav
2ND-Copsale Lad 9-11-00 Owner-Swallow Partnership; Trainer-Nicky Henderson; Jockey-Mick Fitzgerald; SP-8/1
3RD-Tumbling Dice 7-11-01 Owner-Mrs John Donegan; Trainer-Tom Taaffe IRE; Jockey-Barry Geraghty; SP-14/1
4TH-Direct Flight 8-10-04 Owner-Top Flight; Trainer-Noel Chance; Jockey-Paul Carberry; SP-25/1
18 ran, Time-5m 05.00s, Dist-1.25, 9, shd

2005-WINNER-KING HARALD 7-10-04 Owner-Piers Pottinger & PBJ Partnership; Trainer-Mark Bradstock; Jockey-Mattie Batchelor; SP-9/1
2ND-Lacdoudal 6-11-10 Owner-Carol Skan; Trainer-Philip Hobbs; Jockey-Richard Johnson; SP-12/1
3RD-See You Sometime 10-11-03 Owner-J A G Meaden; Trainer-Seamus Mullins; Jockey-Andrew Thornton; SP-12/1
4TH-Sir Oj 8-10-11 Owner-Brian Keenan; Trainer-Noel Meade IRE; Jockey-Paul Carberry; SP-18/1
19 ran, Time-5m 12.20s, Dist-12, 8, 2 8/1 Fav Captain Corelli (PU)

CENTENARY NOVICES’ HANDICAP CHASE ROLL OF HONOUR
(First running in 2005)

Year Winner Age/Wt Jockey Trainer Owner SP Ran

2011 Divers 7-11-04 Graham Lee Ferdy Murphy The DPRP Divers Partnership 10/1 2010 Copper Bleu 8-11-01 Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs Alan Peterson 12/1 20
2009 Chapoturgeon 5-10-11 Timmy Murphy Paul Nicholls David Johnson 8/1 20
2008 Finger Onthe Pulse 7-10-12 Barry Geraghty Tom Taaffe IRE Conor Clarkson 9/1 20
2007 L’Antartique 7-10-11 Graham Lee Ferdy Murphy Mary Durkan 20/1 19
2006 Reveillez 7-10-11 Tony McCoy James Fanshawe J P McManus 9/2F 18
2005 King Harald 7-10-04 Mattie Batchelor Mark Bradstock Piers Pottinger & P B-J Partnership 9/1 19