Virgin Bet Grimthorpe Chase |
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| Handicap, Doncaster 15:15 £70,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 3m 2f 1y, Class 2  |
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1 Moroder 33/1
2 The Kniphand 4/1F
3 Hymac 11/2
12 ran NR: King Turgeon, Surrey Quest
Distances: 2¾l, 2½l, 1½l Time: 6m 20.00s (fast by 6.00s)
He's done it again! 👑
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) March 1, 2025
Moroder lands the Virgin Bet Grimthorpe Handicap Chase at @DoncasterRaces for a second time for @jamesbe19813630 and Seamus Mullins... pic.twitter.com/csMZxAN7rz
Seamus Mullins’ Moroder rolled back the years in tremendous style, reclaiming his crown in the Grimthorpe with a performance full of grit and determination.
2 years ago, he caused a stir at 18-1 under James Best, before proving it was no fluke when finishing second in the bet365 Gold Cup to round off his season. Since then, consistency has eluded him—his best effort in the interim a runner-up finish at Cheltenham last April when blinkers were first applied.
Back to Town Moor, back in the blinkers, and back under the guidance of Best—this time sent off a 33-1 outsider—but Moroder had clearly read neither the script nor the market. Relishing the better ground, he traveled sweetly throughout the three-mile-two-furlong trip, jumping fluently and looking every inch the horse of old.
Four out, Best asked him to stride on, and Moroder responded in kind, sweeping to the front with real intent. From there, it was a case of catch-me-if-you-can, and though 4-1 favourite The Kniphand tried, he simply couldn’t get near him—Moroder galloping home two and three-quarter lengths to the good.
“It’s a great boost to the yard,” Mullins reflected. “We’ve had a bit of an in-and-out season, but we’re coming back to form now. And it’s just brilliant to do it again for Besty—he loves this horse.”
Thoughts now turn to Sandown, where he so nearly triumphed last spring. “The handicapper will have his say, but we’ll take our chance,” Mullins added. “We learned last year that he needs this spring ground, and this was the first decent surface we could find. We’ve been patient, and hopefully, that patience is now paying off.”
Virgin Bet Grimthorpe Chase (Handicap)
£70,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 3m 2f 1y, Class 2
12 ran
Going: Good, Good to Soft in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Moroder 11 10-7 Seamus Mullins James Best 33/1
2 2¾ The Kniphand 7 10-7 Nigel Twiston-Davies Finn Lambert 4/1F
3 2½ Hymac 9 10-12 Harry Fry Bryan Carver 11/2
4 1½ Erne River 10 10-12 Nick Kent Charlie Hammond 14/1
5 5 Weveallbeencaught 8 11-4 Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies 5/1
6 ¾ Fidelio Vallis 10 11-5 Harry Derham Alice Stevens 50/1
7 22 Twig 10 12-0 Ben Pauling Beau Morgan 10/1
8 6 Lord Baddesley t 10 10-7 Anthony Honeyball Ben Godfrey 12/1
FELL Monte Igueldo 8 10-12 Gary Hanmer James Davies 18/1
PU Undersupervision 9 10-9 Nigel Twiston-Davies James Turner 22/1
PU Some Scope 7 10-9 Richard Hobson Gavin Sheehan 6/1
PU
White Rhino 9 11-9 Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero Henry Brooke 6/1
NR 3 King Turgeon 7 11-7 David Pipe NON RUNNER
NR 4 Surrey Quest 8 11-7 Toby Lawes NON RUNNER
