Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase |
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| Grade 2, Cheltenham 14:05 £100,000 guaranteed, 5yo+ 2m 4f 127y, Class 1  |
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1 Springwell Bay 11/4J
2
Marble Sands 10/1
3
Seddon 14/1
8 ran NR: Hitman Distances: 9l, 2¾l, 9½l
Time: 5m 31.64s (slow by 23.64s)
Bolted up ⚡️
— Betfair Racing (@BetfairRacing) January 1, 2025
Springwell Bay TANKED into the race and wins as he likes at Cheltenham!
A 4/1 winner for @DarylCarter7 ✅
pic.twitter.com/NS4Y8Kz5LT
Springwell Bay delivered an impressive performance, staying on strongly to coast home a nine-length victor.
Trained by Jonjo and AJ O’Neill, Springwell Bay was sent off as the 11-4 joint-favourite for the extended two-and-a-half-mile contest. The eight-year-old had previously won a Listed race on his first outing at Chepstow and placed in the Cheltenham meetings in November and December.
Ridden with patience by Jonjo O’Neill jnr, Springwell Bay was travelling exceptionally well on the turn for home as the pacesetting Seddon began to tire. The eight-year-old easily closed down the leader when asked, staying upsides until asserting his authority at the last.
Springwell Bay coasted home a nine-length scorer, with Marble Sands swooping late to deny Seddon of second place by two and three-quarter lengths.
The winning rider told Racing TV: “I would say the race probably fell apart a little bit, they went a good gallop in the ground and obviously Seddon got tired then at the second-last. I wasn’t as fluent as I would have liked to have been all the way round, he was a little bit careful over a few jumps, I think the ground was probably just getting to him, so I had to just change tack and hunt him into it. We always thought he was a classy horse and it’s nice he’s got his day in the sun. He’s one of those horses you could go two or three (miles), he definitely gets three miles as he got it at Musselburgh last year, but just that race in November, he absolutely hacked and was just far too keen in a better race where they go a proper gallop. I’d have no problems with him over three or on slower ground over two, he’s just one of those horses that is probably quite versatile, but I think two and a half is his trip.”
New Year's Day Handicap Chase (Grade 2)
£100,000 guaranteed, 5yo+ 2m 4f 127y, Class 1
8 ran
Going: Soft
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Springwell Bay 8 11-3 Jonjo & A J O'Neill Jonjo O'Neill Jr 11/4J
2 9 Marble Sands 9 11-2 David Killahena & Graeme McPherson Nick Slatter 10/1
3 2¾ Seddon 12 11-1 John C McConnell Ben Harvey 14/1
4 9½ Lounge Lizard 8 10-7 Henry Daly Sam Twiston-Davies 15/2
5 2¼ Midnight River 10 11-6 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 14/1
6 35 Gemirande 9 11-2 Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch 11/4J
FELL Colonel Harry 8 11-4 Jamie Snowden Gavin Sheehan 5/1
PU Lisnamult Lad 8 10-9 Ian Patrick Donoghue Sean Bowen 9/1
NR 1 9283-2 Hitman 9 12-0 Paul Nicholls NON RUNNER
