888Sport Handicap Chase |
||
| Cheltenham 15:30 £48,000 added, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 199y, Class 2  |
||
|
||
1 Before Midnight 2/1F
2 Sky Pirate 3/1
3 Hatcher 16/1
7 ran NR: Ashutor, Belargus
Distances: 6l, ½l, hd Time: 3m 50.95s (fast by 1.05s)
Sam Thomas has his biggest win of his training career to date as Before Midnight wins the @888Sport Handicap Chase under @samtwiston @CheltenhamRaces pic.twitter.com/NFZ6w3SIPn https://t.co/9wABwXwNdu via @RacingBetter
— RacingBetter (@RacingBetter) October 24, 2021
Sam Thomas, a fine jockey who won the Gold Cup on Denman in 2008, had made what could be only be described as a steady start to his training career, but there are definite signs things are picking up.
A couple of wins in Listed bumpers last season for Good Risk At All suggested he would have a nice horse to go to war with and Before Midnight can now be added to the list.
The former Nicky Henderson inmate has thrived since dropping to two miles and never missed a beat under Sam Twiston-Davies, who was completing a double following the success of I Like To Move It.
“That was a very taking performance and the way he jumps was part of the reason we dropped to two miles,” said Thomas.
“It paid off at Chepstow (in April) and we thought he had a little bit up his sleeve, so this has been the target since May really. For the money this is a race which sometimes doesn’t have the biggest field.
“It’s a bit surreal. I’ve been working all morning and then drove here so I haven’t had time to get nervous. We had a winner here in November when there was no crowd and we were on the way home 10 minutes later, so to have a crowd here is very special.
“I was never an assistant to anyone so I probably took a bit of time to learn, making mistakes along the way. I’ve now got good horses, great facilities and a fantastic team. Although we’re only small, everyone digs in and days like today make it worthwhile.
“It’s hard when things aren’t going well and you don’t know what to put it down to, but thankfully we had a really good season last season and we can look back on that and see what worked.”
888Sport Handicap Chase
£48,000.00 added, 4yo plus, 2m, Class 2
7 ran
Going: Good
1 Before Midnight 8 10-3 Sam Thomas Sam Twiston-Davies 2/1F
2 6 Sky Pirate 8 11-12 Jonjo O'Neill Nick Scholfield 3/1
3 ½ Hatcher 8 11-3 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 16/1
4 hd Bathiva 7 10-0 Fergal O'Brien Paddy Brennan 9/2
5 9½ Solar Impulse 11 10-2 Ian Williams Charlie Todd 18/1
6 5 Leapaway 9 10-2 Philip Hobbs Tom O'Brien 7/1
7 8½ Voix Du Reve 9 11-2 Iain Jardine Conor O'Farrell 10/1
NR 4 Belargus 6 10-5 Nick Gifford NON RUNNER
NR 9 Ashutor 7 10-0 Sophie Leech NON RUNNER
