galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle
Grade 2, Cheltenham 15:35
£60,000 added,
5yo plus,
2m 7f 213y, Class 1  
Saturday 26th January 2019

Trainers Quotes

1 Paisley Park 10/3F
2 West Approach 20/1
3 Black Op 11/2
12 ran Distances: 12l, 2l, 10l
Time: 5m 59.20s (slow by 18.20s)

Paisley Park destroys them to win the Cleeve!

Paisley Park

Paisley Park confirmed himself as the leading British-trained contender for the G1 Sun Bets Stayers' Hurdle as he routed the opposition to record a fourth victory in as many starts this season. 
 
The seven-year-old, who provided trainer Emma Lavelle with a first G1 win when taking the JLT Hurdle at Ascot in December, travelled in mid-field of the 12 runners as Lil Rockerfeller (Neil King, Bryony Frost) and Sam Spinner (Jedd O'Keeffe/Joe Colliver) disputed the running. 
 
Paisley Park ran on strongly between horses to take up the running for Aidan Coleman approaching the final flight and readily stormed clear, going on to win by 12 lengths from West Approach (Colin Tizzard/Tom Scudamore), with two lengths back to third home Black Op (Tom George/Noel Fehily) in the 12-strong field.
 
Emma Lavelle, who stables are in Wiltshire, said of her stable star: "It was amazing. Paisley Park was so impressive and I couldn't be more thrilled for everybody - it's exciting, really exciting. 
 
"He was a very sick horse after his bumper run and last year was definitely about getting over all of that and getting stronger with another summer of grass. 

"My husband Barry (Fenton) has been riding him every day and he has done an amazing job because he has instilled so much confidence in the horse, who has just got better and better. Paisley Park has just got so much more professional about it. 
 
"Andrew Gemmell (owner) is such a massive supporter of racing and us in particular. It couldn't happen to a nicer person. He is a humbling man and I am thrilled for him."

Trainers Quotes

Aidan Coleman said: "I know this horse really well but, coming down the hill to two out, I thought 'Jeez, what is going on here?' 
 
"He does travel a little bit behind the bridle, which is why he finishes his races so well, but I have given him a squeeze coming off the bend. 
 
"I knew as soon I had done it that it was the biggest mistake I could have made because I was there literally a furlong too soon. You could see his ears were pricked the whole way up the run-in and it was a good job that he kept going and got me out of trouble."
 
Winning owner Andrew Gemmell, who has been blind from birth, commented: "I can't believe it - it's fantastic and has surpassed my expectations. 
 
"After his first couple of runs, Paisley Park was seriously ill and it was touch and go whether he would survive. He has come back and is just growing into himself. 

"It's only 47 days until the Stayers' Hurdle and we cannot wait. I was supposed to be at the tennis in Australia this week, but coming here instead was the best decision I have made in a while."

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Galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle
£60,000 added, 5yo plus, 2m 7f 213y, Class 1
12 ran
Going: Good to Soft, Good in places

Pos D Horse SP Jockey Weight Trainer Age
1st Paisley Park (IRE) 10/3f Aidan Coleman
11-6		 Miss E C Lavelle 7
2nd 12 West Approach 20/1 T Scudamore
11-0		 C L Tizzard 9
3rd 2 Black Op (IRE) 11/2 N D Fehily
11-3		 T R George 8
4th 10 Sam Spinner 11/1 Joe Colliver
11-6		 Jedd O'Keeffe 7
5th 2¾ Lil Rockerfeller (USA) 20/1 Bryony Frost
11-6		 N B King 8
6th 1¾ Aye Aye Charlie 40/1 P J Brennan
11-0		 F O'Brien 7
7th 2¼ Aux Ptits Soins (FR) 9/2 Harry Skelton
11-0		 D Skelton 9
8th nse Unowhatimeanharry 11/1 B J Geraghty
11-6		 H Fry 11
9th 8 Wholestone (IRE) 8/1 D A Jacob
11-6		 N A Twiston-Davies 8
10th 14 The Mighty Don (IRE) 16/1 L P Aspell
11-0		 N J Gifford 7
11th 99 Midnight Shadow 17/2 Danny Cook
11-6		 Mrs S J Smith 6
PU Agrapart (FR) 25/1 Lizzie Kelly
11-6		 Nick Williams 8

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Year Horse Owner Trainer Weight Jockey SP

1990 Beech Road Tony Geake Toby Balding 8-12-00 Richard Guest 1/3 f
1991 Crystal Spirit Paul Mellon Ian Balding 4-10-09 Jimmy Frost 4/1
1992 Abandoned
1993 Muse White Horse Racing Ltd David Elsworth 6-11-08 Paul Holley 11/4
1994 Flakey Dove John Price Richard Price 8-11-03 Richard Dunwoody 4/1 cf
1995 Mudahim K W Bell Chris Broad 9-11-08 Norman Williamson 13/2
1996 Abandoned
1997 Large Action Brian Stewart-Brown Oliver Sherwood 9-11-08 Jamie Osborne 8/15 f
1998 Mistinguett John Duggan Nigel Twiston-Davies 6-11-03 Carl Llewellyn 100/30
1999 Lady Rebecca Kinnersley Optimists Venetia Williams 7-11-03 Norman Williamson 6/4 f
2000 Lady Rebecca Kinnersley Optimists Venetia Williams 8-11-03 Norman Williamson Evens f
2001 Lady Rebecca Kinnersley Optimists Venetia Williams 9-11-03 Norman Williamson 7/1
2002 Kates Charm Norma Kelly Robert Alner 9-11-03 Mick Fitzgerald 3/1
2003 Classified David Johnson Martin Pipe 7-11-08 Tony McCoy 8/11 f
2004 Crystal D’Ainay Tony & Jeni Fisher Alan King 5-11-04 Jimmy McCarthy Evens f
2005 Patriarch Express A W Muir Sue Smith 8-11-00 Jim Culloty 8/1
2006 Fire Dragon Gay Smith Jonjo O’Neill 5-11-00 Tony McCoy 16/1
2007 Blazing Bailey Three Line Whip Alan King 5-11-00 Robert Thornton 14/1
2008 Inglis Drever Andrea & Graham Wylie Howard Johnson 9-11-08 Richard Johnson 11/8 f
2009 Big Buck’s The Stewart Family Paul Nicholls 6-11-00 Ruby Walsh 7/2
2010 Tidal Bay Andrea & Graham Wylie Howard Johnson 6-11-00 Brian Hughes 14/1
2011 Grands Crus Roger Stanley & Yvonne Reynolds III David Pipe 6-11-04 Tom Scudamore 2/1 f
2012 Big Buck’s The Stewart Family Paul Nicholls 9-11-08 Ruby Walsh 1/4 f
2013 Reve De Sivola Paul Duffy Diamond Partnership Nick Williams 8-11-08 Richard Johnson 15/8 f
2014 Knockara Beau Alistair Charlton George Charlton 11-11-00 Jan Faltejsek 66/1
2015 Saphir Du Rheu The Stewart Family Paul Nicholls 6-11-04 Sam Twiston-Davies 3/1
2016 Thistlecrack John & Heather Snook Colin Tizzard 8-11-08 Tom Scudamore 4/5f
2017 Unowhatimeanharry J P McManus Harry Fry 9-11-08 Barry Geraghty 10/11 f
2018 Agrapart The Gascoigne Brookes P’ship Nick Williams 7-11-06 Lizzie Kelly 9/1