William Hill Top Price Guarantee Novices' Limited Handicap Chase
Cheltenham 13:10
£20,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus,
2m 4f 44y, Class 2   
Saturday 26th October 2024

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1 Lisnamult Lad 20/1
2 Weveallbeencaught 17/2
3 Riskintheground 17/2
11 ran NR: Doughmore Bay, Jazzy Matty
Distances: ½l, 2¼l, 3¾l Time: 4m 48.89s (fast by 11.11s)

Ian Donoghue continued his family’s success at Cheltenham as Lisnamult Lad claimed a front-running victory. The County Meath trainer, older brother of Cheltenham Festival-winning rider Keith Donoghue, watched proudly as the seven-year-old gelding broke his fences maiden in the two-and-a-half-mile contest.

Ridden by Sean Bowen, the winner led from the start and showcased excellent jumping skills in his fifth start over fences. When the well-fancied Lord Of Thunder crashed out at the second last, bringing down Bob Bob Ricard, it was left to Weveallbeencaught and Riskintheground to challenge Lisnamult Lad. However, Bowen drove Lisnamult Lad to victory, holding off Weveallbeencaught by half a length.

Donoghue said, “Matthew (Rogers), his owner, is one of our main owners, and he’s the easiest-going owner in the country. I rang him last week to suggest bringing him to Cheltenham, and he was all for it. I thought we were up against it as the handicapper had raised him to 134. He’s not a big horse and carried a lot of weight, but he’s tough. Sean gave him a great ride. We weren’t worried about the distance as he stayed well at Cartmel over an extended three miles one furlong."

He added, “I was pleased with our mark of 124 in Ireland, and when I saw 134 here, I almost left him home. But since we were already coming with the horse, I thought we might as well. Thankfully, it worked out. I told Sean to ride him as he liked but not to let them go slow, and he did a fantastic job. Keith couldn't ride him as he had commitments with Gavin (Cromwell), but he advised us to use Sean if we could.”

Looking ahead, Donoghue hopes Lisnamult Lad can become an Irish Grand National contender later in the season. “We haven't looked past today. I’d love to get him into the Irish Grand National and we’ll take care of him until then. Hopefully, we’ll be back here for the Festival and, with any luck, get into the Irish Grand National off a nice weight,” he said.

FormRatings

William Hill Top Price Guarantee Novices' Limited Handicap Chase
£20,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 4f 44y, Class 2
11 ran
Going: Good

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1    Lisnamult Lad 7 11-7 Ian Patrick Donoghue Sean Bowen 20/1
2 ½ Weveallbeencaught 7 11-1 Christian Williams Jack Tudor 17/2
3 2¼ Riskintheground 7 11-6 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 17/2
4 3¾ Guard Your Dreams 8 11-9 Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies 11/2
5 1 Andys Flame 7 10-5 John C McConnell Callum Pritchard 28/1
6 9½ Bashers Reflection 7 10-10 Ben Case Harry Bannister 17/2
7 9 Bob Bob Ricard 6 10-11 Jonjo & A J O'Neill Jonjo O'Neill Jr 13/2
8 1¾ Will Carver 9 11-10 Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville 10/1
9 5½ Marv Michael 6 11-1 Henry De Bromhead Darragh O'Keeffe 4/1F
FELL Lord Of Thunder 6 11-2 Joe Tizzard Brendan Powell 6/1
PU Dutch Schultz 7 11-2 Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue 12/1
NR 5 Jazzy Matty 5 11-6 Cian Collins NON RUNNER
NR 6 Doughmore Bay 6 11-5 Emma Lavelle NON RUNNER

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