Ladbrokes Long Walk Hurdle
Grade 1, (Ascot) Kempton 12:45
£80,000 guaranteed
4yo plus,
3m 97y, Class 1  
Saturday 17th December 2022 - resheduled

1 Paisley Park 9/2
2 Goshen 100/30
3 Champ 7/4F
5 ran Distances: 4¼l, ½l, 41l
Time: 6m 13.85s (slow by 15.85s)

Trainer Emma Lavelle had voiced concerns pre-race that staging the race at such a sharp track would not suit Paisley Park – and that looked sure to be proven right as the soon-to-be 11-year-old began to lose touch turning into the straight.

It was Champ, who had made all the running, who looked to hold all the aces as he was still travelling well for Jonjo O’Neill junior, while Goshen – trying three miles for the first time – had still to play his hand.

But as stamina possibly began to tell, Goshen had no more to give and Champ was soon sending out distress signals, too, as Aidan Coleman and his old partner began to stay on relentlessly.

On jumping the last Paisley Park (9-2) just took off in front and from there the result seemed inevitable as he powered away to win by four and a quarter lengths from Goshen to gain a fourth Grade One success.

Coleman told ITV Racing: “That’s three Long Walks he’s won now, two at Ascot and one at Kempton.

“I find it hard not to get emotional about him as he’s an absolute pleasure. He’s been a mainstay of my career for a long period of time, he’s taken me to places that I’m struggling to repeat – especially this year.

“The better horses I ride are getting a bit older apart from Jonbon, but then along comes this fellow and he is a testament to Emma and Barry (Fenton) and their team.

“He’s running in three-mile slogs for six years now, it’s nearly unheard of.”

He added: “He picked up well and going to the last I knew I’d win. I actually got the front too soon, I don’t think I’ve ever given him a good ride!”

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Fenton, Lavelle’s partner and assistant, said: “It’s just unbelievable really, he pulls it out of the bag every time. He just seems to have that spark back this year.

“I was a bit worried over the first two hurdles but even tacking him up before the race, he just seemed right. He’s not even just a bit better than last year, he feels like he’s as good as we’ve had him. Last year everything was a bit hard work, even training him at home, but this year he seems bright and happy and enjoying himself. He’s one of those horses.

“This was probably his least favourite ground, but I said to Aidan that this is Paisley Park and you never know what is going to happen. To be fair I was happy going to the third-last and it was just when we landed at the back of it that all of a sudden we were under the pump and under it proper.

“The dead ground probably helped us in the sense that the others came back to him and once he gets a feel that the others are coming back to him he’s at it again.

“He’s one of those horses and he always pulls through. We nearly lost him a couple of times, but he’s a fighter and he pulls through. He’s a poker player and I’d hate to play poker with him as you would not know what’s under his sleeve! That’s the way he trains at home, he takes his every day stuff with a pinch of salt but he’s an incredible horse.

“I’ve spoken to Emma and she’s happy and funnily enough I’ve spoken to Andrew (Gemmell, owner) on the phone. He’s down in Australia so I’m gutted for him that he’s not here, but at least the race was on after Ascot and I was giving him the commentary.

“I won’t say what he said at the end, but he was very happy anyways!”

Of Goshen, Josh Moore, assistant to his father, Gary, said: “He ran well. You would rather run him over these trips or two and a half miles, but there are not many of them about, especially right-handed. You would have probably the race rather been at Ascot as that might have suited him a bit better. He has run well.

“He is only a six-year-old and both Paisley Park and Champ are 10 year-olds. Hopefully there will be other targets for him. We will give him another go over fences when it is heavy ground.”

Nicky Henderson said of Champ, who got the better of Paisley Park when they met in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury: “It was a great race, but he is better going the other way. Barney (Clifford, clerk of the course) said he was going to have some nice soft ground and well done them for putting it on and we are grateful for that, but he is better going the other way round. He does everything to his left.

“He could do that (go for the Cleeve). He is a very good horse when he is fresh though. We ummed and ahhed whether to go to Newbury or keep him fresh for the Long Walk and we opted for Newbury as we thought we had the opportunity there. It was a great race and we got that.

“I was very pleased when this was delayed a week as it gave him an extra week to freshen up a bit more. His jumping was a bit untidy at times as he wanted to go left and the course goes right. You could easily do that (keep him fresh for the Stayers’ Hurdle).It is not ducking or diving, he just loves to be fresh.”

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Long Walk Hurdle
£80,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 3m 97y, Class 1
5 ran
Going: Soft

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1     Paisley Park 10 11-7 Emma Lavelle Aidan Coleman 9/2
2 4¼ Goshen 6 11-7 Gary Moore Jamie Moore 100/30
3 ½ Champ 10 11-7 Nicky Henderson Jonjo O'Neill Jr 7/4F
4 41 Miranda 7 11-0 Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 9/2
5 9½ Not So Sleepy 10 11-7 Hughie Morrison Jonathan Burke 11/1

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LONG WALK HURDLE ROLL OF HONOUR (1965-2021)
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

2021 CHAMP
2020 PAISLEY PARK
2019 THE WORLDS END
2018 PAISLEY PARK
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

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