JLT Long Walk Hurdle |
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| Grade 1, Ascot 14:25 £100,000 added, 4yo plus, 3m 97y, Class 1  |
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| Saturday 22nd December 2018 | |
1 Paisley Park 8/1
2 West Approach 40/1
3 Top Notch 10/1
1 ran Distances: 2l, 3¾l, 1¾l
Time: 6m 3.70s (slow by 17.70s)
A first Grade 1 for Emma Lavelle and Aidan Coleman as Paisley Park wins
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Firstly, last year’s winner Sam Spinner – who was hesitant at the first hurdle – then got rid of Joe Colliver at the second.
Then at the same flight on the next circuit, the well fancied Unowhatimeanharry took a tumble as the field bunched up.
Approaching the second-last, nothing could be ruled out with confidence, but Paisley Park could be spotted going very well.
Younevercall, Top Notch, Call Me Lord, West Approach and even the outsider Garo De Juilley were all in with a chance approaching the second-last.
It was Paisley Park who jumped the last just in front of West Approach.
The two pulled clear, with Paisley Park prevailing by two lengths as Coleman punched the air for an overdue top-level win.
Coleman was delighted, of course, to have a Grade One winner under his belt at last.
“It’s such a relief,” he said.
“I’ve been riding an awful long time and I hadn’t had one.
“I never thought it was on my mind – I’m not far off 1,000 winners – but 50 yards from the line I finally realised what a monkey it was on my back.
“It’s great to win – but I’m almost embarrassed it’s taken me this long.”
Paisley Park has proved himself too.
Coleman added: “He needed to step up again today, and he did, but he doesn’t do much in front – and I got there far too soon. To be fair, today he didn’t pull up too much – he’s just a good horse.”
Lavelle can begin plotting a Cheltenham Festival bid for Paisley Park.
“I think he will get better,” she said of the six-year-old.
“He has posted a personal best today, so we just have to hope he keeps going the right way.
“Barry (Fenton, former jockey and partner) rides him all the time, and he kept saying to me bit by bit ‘this bit of work is better than the last bit’.
“I’m going to draw a line through Cheltenham last year. That was what was scaring me today about the ground, because he didn’t handle it in the Albert Bartlett – but I think he wasn’t right, rather than it was Cheltenham or the ground. ”
Paisley Park’s owner Andrew Gemmell was the driving force behind moving up to Grade One level with a fast-improving horse.
“Andrew owns on him on his own, and he means a lot to him,” added Lavelle.
“It has been his plan from the start – the three-mile handicap at Haydock, then here. I just did what I was told.
“Andrew said to me at the store sales ‘I want you to buy a horse, and here is some money to do it’.
“When we came back and had not spent all the money I think there was a tinge of disappointment I hadn’t spent it on this amazing horse.
“(But) he has finished up being a super horse for Andrew and us – it’s our first Grade One, and Aidan’s first Grade One, and Andrew’s.
“Andrew told me it was 82 days until the Stayers’ Hurdle, so we’ll work back from there.”
JLT Long Walk Hurdle
£100,000 added, 4yo plus, 3m 97y, Class 1
11 ran
Going: Soft
| Pos | D | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paisley Park (IRE) 8/1 | Aidan Coleman 11-7 |
Miss E C Lavelle | 6 | |
| 2nd | 2 | West Approach 40/1 | H Cobden 11-7 |
C L Tizzard | 8 |
| 3rd | 3¾ | Top Notch (FR) 10/1 | James Bowen 11-7 |
N J Henderson | 7 |
| 4th | 1¾ | The Mighty Don (IRE) 16/1 | R Johnson 11-7 |
N J Gifford | 6 |
| 5th | nk | Soul Emotion (FR) 9/1 | Nico de Boinville 11-7 |
N J Henderson | 5 |
| 6th | 5 | Garo De Juilley (FR) 100/1 | J J Burke 11-7 |
Mrs S Leech | 6 |
| 7th | 6 | Call Me Lord (FR) 7/2f | D A Jacob 11-7 |
N J Henderson | 5 |
| 8th | 2 | Younevercall (IRE) 20/1 | David Bass 11-7 |
K C Bailey | 7 |
| 9th | 23 | Agrapart (FR) 7/1 | Lizzie Kelly 11-7 |
Nick Williams | 7 |
| F | Unowhatimeanharry 4/1 | B J Geraghty 11-7 |
H Fry | 10 | |
| UR | Sam Spinner 9/2 | Joe Colliver 11-7 |
Jedd O'Keeffe | 6 |
LONG WALK HURDLE ROLL OF HONOUR (1965-2012)
Race run as a handicap prior to 1971
(run at Newbury in 2009, Chepstow in 2005 and Windsor in 2004)
Year Winner Age/Wt Owner Trainer Jockey SP
2017 SAM SPINNER
2016 UNOWHATIMEANHARRY
2015 THISTLECRACK
2014 REVE DE SIVOLA
2013 REVE DE SIVOLA
2012 REVE DE SIVOLA
2011 BIG BUCK’S 8-11-07 The Stewart Family Paul Nicholls AP McCoy 3/10F
2010 BIG BUCK’S 7-11-07 The Stewart Family Paul Nicholls AP McCoy 2/13F
2009 BIG BUCK’S 6-11-07 The Stewart Family Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 1/2F
2008 PUNCHESTOWNS 5-11-07 Judy Wilson Nicky Henderson Barry Geraghty 3/1F
2007 LOUGH DERG 7-11-07 W Frewen David Pipe Tom Scudamore 14/1
2006 MIGHTY MAN 6-11-07 Joss Hanbury Henry Daly Richard Johnson 11/8F
2005 MY WAY DE SOLZEN 5-11-07 B Windfield, A Longman, J Wright, C Fenton; Alan King Robert Thornton 12/1
2004 BARACOUDA 9-11-07 J P McManus Francois Doumen FR Tony McCoy 8/13F
2003 BARACOUDA 8-11-07 J P McManus Francois Doumen FR Thierry Doumen 2/7F
2002 DEANO’S BEENO 10-11-07 Axom Martin Pipe Tony McCoy 14/1
2001 BARACOUDA 6-11-07 J P McManus Francois Doumen FR Thierry Doumen 2/5F
2000 BARACOUDA 5-11-07 Roger Barby Francois Doumen FR Thierry Doumen 11/4
1999 ANZUM 8-11-07 Old Foresters P’ship Alan King Richard Johnson 4/1
1998 PRINCEFUL 7-11-07 Robert Hitchins Jenny Pitman Richard Dunwoody 11/4F
1997 PADDY’S RETURN 5-11-07 Paddy O’Donnell Ferdy Murphy Norman Williamson 8/1
1996 OCEAN HAWK 4-11-07 Matt Archer/Jean Broadhurst Nigel Twiston-Davies Carl Llewellyn 7/1
1995 SILVER WEDGE 4-11-07 Shirley & Bill Robins Oliver Sherwood Jamie Osborne 7/1
1994 HEBRIDEAN 7-11-07 Peter Deal David Nicholson Adrian Maguire 100/30
1993 SWEET DUKE 6-11-07 Andy Mavrou Nigel Twiston-Davies Carl Llewellyn 7/2
1992 VAGOG 7-11-07 M A Swift Martin Pipe Martin Foster 15/2
1991 Abandoned due to frost
1990 FLOYD 10-11-07 Mike Walsh David Elsworth Graham Bradley 10/1
1989 ROYAL ATHLETE 6-10-08 Gary Johnson Jenny Pitman Dean Gallagher 33/1
1988 FRENCH GOBLIN 5-11-01 Maurice Pinto Josh Gifford Peter Hobbs 3/1
1987 BLUFF COVE 5-10-08 Dickins Ltd Reg Hollinshead Richard Dunwoody 14/1
1986 OUT OF THE GLOOM 5-10-08 Paul Green Reg Hollinshead Peter Scudamore 4/1
1985 MISTY DALE 7-10-08 David Rose Jenny Pitman Phil Tuck 9/4F
1984 KRISTENSON 7-10-08 Ursula Fantasia Roger Fisher Michael Williams 7/2
1983 CRIMSON EMBERS 8-10-11 Pam Smart Fulke Walwyn Stuart Shilston 14/1
1982 MAYOTTE 7-10-11 B Davies Richard Holder Paul Richards 15/8F
1981 Abandoned due to snow
1980 DERRING ROSE 5-11-11 Peter Savill Fred Winter John Francome 7/1
1979 JOHN CHERRY 8-10-11 Milton Ritzenberg Tom Jones Steve Smith Eccles 6/1
1978 KELSO CHANT 6-11-07 Mrs M Richardson Jumbo Wilkinson Steve Charlton 10/1
1977 JOHN CHERRY 6-10-11 Milton Ritzenberg Tom Jones Steve Smith Eccles 11/8F
1976 Abandoned due to frost
1975 LANZAROTE 7-12-05 Lord Howard de Walden Fred Winter John Francome 4/9F
1974 GO BINGO 5-11-12 Guy Reed Sam Hall David Munro 9/4
1973 SOLONING 8-11-08 Mrs C Thornton Fred Winter Richard Pitman 9/2
1972 HIGHLAND ABBE 6-11-12 Mrs K Hankey Les Kennard Mr R Smith 11/1
1971 ST PATRICK’S BLUE 6-11-12 P Aunger David Tatlow Bill Smith 7/2F
1970 ROUGE AUTUMN 6-10-05 Bryan Jenks Fred Rimell Ken White 9/2F
1969 CANDID CAMERA 6-10-06 R F P Ross Ted Goddard Joe Guest 100/8
1968 Abandoned due to waterlogging
1967 Abandoned due to foot and mouth epidemic
1966 SIR EDWARD 6-10-09 R Heaton Ryan Price Josh Gifford 7/2F
1965 MINUTE GUN 8-10-04 Bill Shand Kydd Bill Shand Kydd Richard Pitman 100/8
