JLT Novices' Chase |
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| Cheltenham 13:30 Grade 1, £150,000 added, 5yo plus, 2m 3f 198y, Class 1 
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| Thursday 16th March 2017 | |
1 Yorkhill 6/4F
2 Top Notch 7/2
3 Disko 4/1
8 ran Distances: 1l, 3l, 6l
Time: 5m 0.20s (slow by 9.20s)
Yorkhill given a brilliant ride from Ruby Walsh and he managed to hold off a late charge from Top Notch
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A relieved Willie Mullins greeted Yorkhill and Ruby Walsh as they arrived in the winner's enclosure after taking the first race of the day by a length from the fast-finishing Top Notch.
Yorkhill, the 6/4 favourite, was Mullins' first winner of The Festival 2017 after a disappointing two days that included the defeat of odds-on Douvan in yesterday's Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase.
"He [Yorkhill] was good - I thought he idled a bit in front; I thought he might go away from them. For a moment going up the straight it looked like he might be coming back to them, and then held on.
"He's not the easiest of rides. The way things were working out over the last few days I thought we might be too far behind, but I know what would be going through his [Ruby's] head: if you let him pass one horse he probably would have been in front by the next fence, and Ruby just had to sit and suffer until he got the gap through on the inside, and it all worked out.
"To get on the board is huge, and to get on the board in a Grade One is better. It's good for me, it's good for Ruby, and it puts confidence back in the team. It's been a hard few days but that's the way it is. It wouldn't be any fun winning over here if it was easy, so we take what we can get.
"I thought Douvan was a huge disappointment, and a very good mare [Apple's Jade] beat us in the mares' race [the OLBG Mares' Hurdle, where Mullins' pair of Vroum Vroum Mag and Limini finished second and third]. The other horses I think ran their races - we had a lot of placed horses.
"Douvan was quite lame this morning again when I brought him out. We had a good look over with the vets. He's on the way to get an MRI scan either later this afternoon or tomorrow. It's something up in his hindquarters, we think - it looked like his near hind leg, and we think it is above the hock from the way he is carrying himself. He was quite sore last night but is more comfortable today. I should think that is it for the season with him and we'll look forward to next season."
JLT Novices' Chase
(Registered as The Golden Miller Novices' Chase)
Grade 1, £150,000 added, 5yo plus, 2m 3f 198y, Class 1
8 ran
Going: Good, Good to Soft in places
| Pos | D | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Yorkhill (IRE) 6/4f | R Walsh 11-4 |
W P Mullins | 7 | |
| 2nd | 1 | Top Notch (FR) 7/2 | D A Jacob 11-4 |
N J Henderson | 6 |
| 3rd | 3 | Disko (FR) 4/1 | B J Cooper 11-4 |
N Meade | 6 |
| 4th | 6 | Politologue (FR) 10/1 | Sam Twiston-Davies 11-4 |
P F Nicholls | 6 |
| 5th | 9 | Kilcrea Vale (IRE) 22/1 | J McGrath 11-4 |
N J Henderson | 7 |
| 6th | 19 | Flying Angel (IRE) 9/1 | N D Fehily 11-4 |
N A Twiston-Davies | 6 |
| Also Ran: Baily Cloud (IRE) , Balko Des Flos (FR) | |||||
WALSH REACHES FESTIVAL SUMMIT WITH YORKHILL
Ruby Walsh gained his first winner of the 2017 Cheltenham Festival and his 53rd success at the meeting, courtesy of the Willie Mullins-trained 6/4 favourite Yorkhill's impressive victory.
Held up at the back of the field early on in the two miles and four furlong contest by Walsh, the seven-year-old son of Presenting jumped and travelled superbly throughout and scythed through the field entering the home straight to challenge for the lead.
Leading the remainder approaching the final fence, Andrea & Graham Wylie's idled out in front up the punishing Cheltenham hill, but stayed on resolutely for Walsh's urgings to record a length success, fending off the sustained challenge of Nicky Henderson's Top Notch (7/2). Long time leader Disko (4/1), trained by Noel Meade, was a further three lengths behind in third.
In what has been a frustrating week for the formidable partnership of Walsh and Mullins, which included the shock defeat of 2/9 favourite Douvan in yesterday's Grade One Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Irish jockey was visibly delighted to get on the scoresheet.
Walsh said: "I could have done with holding onto him a little longer as he doesn't do a lot in front. He went to the second last and absolutely pinged it and it was then I knew I was in front too soon because he stumbled through the last.
"As soon as Top Notch came back at him though, he went again. He is a very good horse."
Walsh spoke with adulation about Mullins' charge, commenting: "There has been a lot of toing and froing about whether we stay hurdling or go chasing but, to me, Yorkhill has Gold Cup written all over him and always had.
"People criticise his jumping but he has a huge kink in him. People never realised the job Paul Nicholls did with Denman because he was the same. He had a kink too and they are two chestnut Presentings. The best ones always do.
"Yorkhill has a massive engine. [David] Casey is always raving about him. It was brilliant."
Reflecting on the disappointment from earlier this week, Walsh added: "Everything can't go your way all the time. That is sport. You have to keep looking forward."
Winning owner Graham Wylie was registering his 12th success at The Festival and said: "Today he jumped magnificently. He was as straight as a die, didn't jump left and was well settled at the back. He was nearly brought down at the back - he is as clever as Einstein, that horse.
"Coming to the last, if he jumped, I knew that he was going to win. Top Notch ran a great race though and pushed him right to the end. I know my fellow tends to go a bit slow when he gets to the lead but thank goodness he did it.
"I am proud that the horse did himself justice because he has been crabbed for his jumping and I think today showed that he can jump and has got a big engine. I am pleased for Ruby and Willie because they have had a miserable two days and now we have got one on the board for them."
DID PLUMPTON PUT MOCKERS ON TOP NOTCH?
Did Plumpton racecourse send down a curse that prevented Top Notch winning today?
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Top Notch and Yorkhill were more or less in line with third-placed Disko at the second-last, when Jacob's mount put in a slower jump than his rivals and his chance of winning became much harder. He rallied past Disko on the run-in, but could not reel in the winner.
Henderson said: "He was brilliant all the way, but he just lacks that bit of scope. He just did his own thing [at the second-last], but hasn't got the scope of those big horses to be able to go and really stand off. He's not the size of [RSA Chase winner] Might Bite, but he's got a better head than Might Bite.
"He dug in on the run-in, but now he's been second in a Triumph Hurdle and second in this race, but still you can only admire him. I didn't really see what happened at the second-last, but one moment I thought he would land in front and the next he was behind. It was expensive, but how expensive we'll never know.
"Plumpton will be grateful - that's just saved them £60,000. Perhaps the chairman of Plumpton organised that little error!
"He'll run again this season - Aintree will suit him and he'll go there."
Bryan Cooper, who rode Disko, said: "He ran really well and I was very happy with him. His jumping was good, and he's still a big, raw horse so he should get further in time."
Previous results - JLT NOVICES’ CHASE
2016-BLACK HERCULES 7-11-04 Owner-Andrea & Graham Wylie; Trainer-Willie Mullins IRE; Jockey-Ruby Walsh; SP-4/1 Co- Fav
2ND-Bristol De Mai 5-11-04 Owner-Simon Munir & Isaac Souede; Trainer-Nigel Twiston-Davies; Jockey-Daryl Jacob; SP-4/1 Co-Fav
3RD-L’Ami Serge 6-11-04 Owner-Simon Munir & Isaac Souede; Trainer-Nicky Henderson; Jockey-Nico de Boinville; SP-8/1
9 ran, Time-4m 55.20s Dist-3, 1 4/1 Co-Fav Garde La Victoire (Fell)
2015-VAUTOUR 6-11-04 Owner-Susannah Ricci; Trainer-Willie Mullins IRE; Jockey-Ruby Walsh; SP-6/4 Fav
2ND-Apache Stronghold 7-11-04 Owner-Patricia Hunt; Trainer-Noel Meade IRE; Jockey-Paul Carberry; SP-7/1
3RD-Valseur Lido 6-11-04 Owner-Gigginstown House Stud; Trainer-Willie Mullins IRE; Jockey-Bryan Cooper; SP-9/2
8 ran, Time-4m 46.30s Dist-15, sh
2014-TAQUIN DU SEUIL 7-11-04 Owner-Martin Broughton & Friends 1; Trainer-Jonjo O’Neill; Jockey-A P McCoy; SP-7/1
2ND-Uxizandre 6-11-04 Owner-J P McManus; Trainer-Alan King; Jockey-Robert Thornton; SP-33/1
3RD-Double Ross 8-11-04 Owner-Options O Syndicate; Trainer-Nigel Twiston-Davies; Jockey-Sam Twiston-Davies; SP-11/1
12 ran, Time-4m 56.72s Dist-¾, 1¼ 7/2 Fav Felix Younger (4th)
2013-WINNER-BENEFFICIENT 7-11-04 Owner-Adrian Shiels & Niall Reilly; Trainer-Tony Martin IRE; Jockey-Bryan Cooper; SP-20/1
2ND-Dynaste 7-11-04 Owner-John White; Trainer-David Pipe; Jockey-Tom Scudamore; SP-11/8 Fav
3RD-Changing Times 7-11-04 Owner-C J Haughey; Trainer-Nigel Twiston-Davies; Jockey-Sam Twiston-Davies; SP-100/1
13 ran, Time-5m 4.80s Dist-3¼, 1
2012-WINNER-SIR DES CHAMPS 6-11-04 Owner-Gigginstown House Stud; Trainer-Willie Mullins IRE; Jockey-Davy Russell; SP-3/1
2ND-Champion Court 7-11-04 Owner-Martin Boothwright; Trainer-Martin Keighley; Jockey-Alain Cawley; SP-8/1
3RD-For Non Stop 7-11-04 Owner-Chris Giles & Jared Sullivan; Trainer-Nick Williams; Jockey-Noel Fehily; SP-8/1
10 ran, Time-4m 52.80s Dist-4½, 9
2011-WINNER-NOBLE PRINCE 7-11-04 Owner-Des Sharkey; Trainer-Paul Nolan IRE; Jockey-A P McCoy; SP-4/1
2ND-Wishfull Thinking 8-11-04 Owner-Diana Whateley; Trainer-Philip Hobbs; Jockey-Richard Johnson; SP-7/2 Fav
3RD-Loosen My Load 7-11-04 Owner-Alan & Ann Potts Partnership; Trainer-Henry De Bromhead IRE; Jockey-Andrew Lynch; SP-15/2
11 ran, Time-4m 49.82s Dist-4, 5
