racing_news/

Boylepoker.com Chase 2006
08/12/06

1st 11 D'argent 10/1
2nd 12 New Alco 6/1
3rd 1 My Will 6/1

D'argent who was always handily placed and stayed on just well enough to score in a thrilling finish in the capable hands of Robert Thornton.

This was his first run in 629 days and looks sure to improve. New Alco was outpaced at the top of the hill before staying on well he may be one to follow when stepped up in trip. My Will ran well to take third under his big weight and he deserves to gain compensation in the near futurer. Commercial Flyer was travelling well until falling at the top of the hill.

Paul Keane Hoping It’s All In The Stars 05/12/06
All In The Stars heads to Cheltenham for the £100,000 Boylepoker.com Chase (1.20pm) on Friday, December 8, with trainer Paul Keane hoping his stable flag-bearer can better his runner-up finish of 12 months ago. [more]

The Boylepoker.com Chase 18/10/06

The Boylepoker.com Chase, the highlight of the Friday card at the Boylesports International, has doubled in value this year, and is now worth a total of £100,000. First held in 1963 as the Bishop’s Cleeve Handicap Chase, run over three miles, the distance of the race has alternated over its history, though it has always been run between three miles and three miles and one and a half furlongs, the present distance.

The very first running of the Boylepoker.com Chase, held on a Monday, was won by John O’Groats, trained by Sid Dale and ridden by Paul Kelleway.

In 1970 the race saw a fine weight-carrying performance from the seven-year-old The Dikler, who triumphed under the burden of 12st. He progressed to land his biggest success at Prestbury Park in the 1973 totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, edging out Pendil in a memorable finish.

Fukle Walwyn, The Dikler’s trainer, had further success in this race with Prairie Dog in 1971 and Diamond Edge in 1980.

Rubstic, who landed the spoils in 1975 as a six-year-old for the trainer/jockey combination of Gordon Richards and Jonjo O’Neill, proved a staying chaser of high rank and went on to capture the 1979 Grand National when trained by John Leadbetter and partnered by Maurice Barnes, beating the 1977 Boylepoker.com Chase winner, Zongalero.

Mighty’s Honour became the first Irish-trained winner of the Boylepoker.com Chase when obliging for trainer Dan Moore in 1978, and only Flashing Steel in 1993 has added to that tally for the Emerald Isle.

The 1980s saw trainer Fred Winter land the contest on three occasions courtesy of Brown Chamberlin (1982), Musso (1983) and I Haventalight (1986), while Run And Skip, successful in 1985, showed that stamina was his forte by taking the Welsh National at Chepstow later that season.

Josh Gifford sent out the winner in 1984 in the shape of Door Latch, who went on to beat all bar a certain Desert Orchid in the 1986 King George VI Chase at Kempton. Gifford had first landed the prize in 1979 with Jack Madness, and went on to win the Boylepoker.com Chase a further three times with the tough Yorkshire Gale (1995, 1996 & 1997), making him the most successful trainer in the race’s history.

Flashing Steel provided Irish handler John Mulhern with a profitable day out in 1993, coming home five lengths to the good over Ushers Island, with Topsham Bay further back in third. The winner progressed to take the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in 1995.

Among current trainers, Nicky Henderson leads the way, with his two victories coming from Master Bob (1990) and Marlborough (2000).

Norman Williamson is the winning-most rider in the event’s history, having completed a quintet of successes aboard Third In Line (1991), Whispering Steel (1994), Yorkshire Gale (1996 & 1997) and Royale De Vassy (2001).

Tony McCoy’s trio of victories came on Yorkshire Gale (1995), Tamarindo (1998) and Horus (2002) and he is the most successful current jockey.

In recent years, horses of the calibre of Marlborough (2000) and Kingscliff (2003) have claimed the Boylepoker.com Chase, while last year the Paul Nicholls-trained Royal Auclair proved too strong for All In The Stars under an excellent ride from promising young jockey Liam Heard.

BOYLEPOKER.COM CHASE FACTS & FIGURES

*The race has been run 36 times in total. It was not held in 1964, 1968 or 1969. Frost intervened in 1976 and 1987, snow caused the abandonment of the 1981 card, and the 1967 meeting was lost due to the foot and mouth epidemic.

*Favourites boast an excellent record, having obliged on 20 occasions.

*Kingscliff at 4/7 in 2003 is the shortest-priced winner, while Lavenshaw in 1972 and Duntree in 1992 both scored at 14/1, and are the longest-priced winners.

*Josh Gifford’s five victories through Jack Madness (1979), Door Latch (1984) and hat-trick hero Yorkshire Gale (1995, 1996 & 1997) make him the most successful trainer in the race’s history.

*Among current trainers, Nicky Henderson leads the way, with his two wins coming from Master Bob (1990) and Marlborough (2000).

*Norman Williamson is the winning-most rider in the race’s history, having completed a quintet of successes aboard Third In Line (1991), Whispering Steel (1994), Yorkshire Gale (1996 & 1997) and Royale De Vassy (2001).

*Tony McCoy’s trio of wins came on Yorkshire Gale (1995), Tamarindo (1998) and Horus (2002), and he is the most successful current jockey.

*There have been only two Irish-trained winners - Mighty’s Honour in 1978 and Flashing Steel in 1993.

*The Dikler (1970), Diamond Edge (1980) and Brown Chamberlin (1982) all lumped 12st to victory, while at the other end of the spectrum, Lavenshaw (1972), Rubstic (1975), Musso (1983), Yorkshire Gale (1995), Tamarindo (1998) and Royale De Vassy (2001) scored with only 10st on their backs.

*Tamarindo, a five-year-old when triumphing in 1998, is the youngest ever winner of the race.

* The admirably tough Yorkshire Gale was 11 when brining up the hat-trick in 1997, as was 1988 victor Bucko, making them the oldest winners of the race.

*The largest field was in 1974, when What A Buck overcame 12 opponents.

*Yorkshire Gale has won the Boylepoker.com Chase three times and is the only multiple winner.

BOYLEPOKER.COM CHASE ROLL OF HONOUR

YEAR HORSE AGE/WEIGHT TRAINER JOCKEY SP RAN
2005 Royal Auclair 8-11-05 Paul Nicholls Liam Heard 13/2 11
2004 Therealbandit 7-11-09 Martin Pipe Timmy Murphy 13/2 12
2003 Kingscliff 6-11-02 Robert Alner Andrew Thornton 4/7f 7
2002 Horus 7-11-04 Martin Pipe Tony McCoy 5/2f 10
2001 Royale De Vassy 7-10-00 Venetia Williams Norman Williamson 7/1 11
2000 Marlborough 8-11-11 Nicky Henderson Mick Fitzgerald 9/2f 12
1999 Star Traveller 8-10-02 Henry Daly Richard Johnson 3/1 6
1998 Tamarindo 5-10-00 Martin Pipe Tony McCoy 11/4f 12
1997 Yorkshire Gale 11-10-10 Josh Gifford Norman Williamson 3/1jf 5
1996 Yorkshire Gale 10-11-10 Josh Gifford Norman Williamson 11/10 2
1995 Yorkshire Gale 9-10-00 Josh Gifford Tony McCoy 10/1 6
1994 Whispering Steel 8-11-10 Kim Bailey Norman Williamson 10/3 7
1993 Flashing Steel 8-11-02 John Mulhern IRE Richard Dunwoody 4/1jf 8
1992 Duntree 7-10-03 David Nicholson Hywel Davies 14/1 10
1991 Third In Line 8-10-03 John Edwards Norman Williamson 7/2 4
1990 Master Bob 10-11-04 Nicky Henderson John Kavanagh 7/2 7
1989 Royal Cedar 8-10-06 John McConnochie Richard Dunwoody 6/4f 6
1988 Bucko 11-10-04 Jimmy Fitzgerald Mark Dwyer 7/2 6
1987 Abandoned
1986 I Haventalight 7-10-11 Fred Winter Peter Scudamore 6/4f 6
1985 Run And Skip 7-10-04 John Spearing Peter Scudamore 6/4f 6
1984 Door Latch 6-10-07 Josh Gifford Peter Hobbs 6/5f 8
1983 Musso 7-10-00 Fred Winter Ben de Haan 5/1 8
1982 Brown Chamberlin 7-12-00 Fred Winter John Francome 8/13f 8
1981 Abandoned
1980 Diamond Edge 9-12-00 Fulke Walwyn Bill Smith 2/1f 10
1979 Jack Madness 7-10-11 Josh Gifford Richard Rowe 15/8f 6
1978 Mighty’s Honour 7-11-11 Dan Moore IRE Tommy Carberry 6/1 12
1977 Zongalero 7-10-10 Tom Jones Steve Smith-Eccles 7/2f 9
1976 Abandoned
1975 Rubstic 6-10-00 Gordon Richards Jonjo O’Neill 10/11f 4
1974 What A Buck 7-10-04 David Nicholson Jeff King 4/1 13
1973 Bruslee 7-10-11 Michael Scudamore Andy Turnell 11/8f 8
1972 Lavenshaw 8-10-00 David Barons Nigel Wakley 14/1 7
1971 Prairie Dog 7-10-06 Fulke Walwyn Stan Mellor 9/4f 7
1970 The Dikler 7-12-00 Fulke Walwyn Barry Brogan 5/4f 9
1969 No Race
1968 No Race
1967 Abandoned
1966 Bassnet 7-10-12 A Kilpatrick P Jones 9/4 8
1965 Phemius 7-11-05 Neville Crump Gerry Scott 5/2f 7
1964 No Race
1963 John O’Groats 9-11-01 Sid Dale Paul Kelleway 2/1f 9