BetMGM Haldon Gold Cup Chase
Grade 2, Exeter 14:25
£100,000 guaranteed,
4yo plus,
2m 1f 109y, Class 1   
Friday 7th November 2025

BetPlay

1 Thistle Ask 3/1
2 Saint Segal 8/1
3 JPR One 100/30
6 ran Distances: 7l, 15l, ½l
Time: 4m 18.70s (slow by 13.70s)

Thistle Ask, well found in the market, took the rise in grade as though it were merely the next fence in his path, stretching his unbeaten run for Dan Skelton with a commanding display.

Backed into 3-1 from an opening 11-2 after catching the eye of Pricewise tipster Tom Segal, he was sent straight into the heat of it by Harry Skelton and, from that moment on, no rival ever managed to lay a glove on him. The £11,000 purchase from May – snapped up after James Ewart stepped away from training – has been thriving in new colours, adding this to wins at Kelso and in a premier handicap at Wetherby barely a week ago. Seven lengths was the margin over Saint Segal, with last year’s hero JPR One third and a below-par Kalif Du Berlais back in fourth.

Race fitness was clearly the ace up his sleeve and Harry Skelton played it early, pressing on turning for home. Despite being out of the handicap, he travelled like a horse with nothing on his back, pinging the line of fences up the straight while the others were under the pump.

“This is down to Dan,” said the winning jockey. “I go out there and do the job, but it takes a lot of balls to do what he’s done. The way Dan has placed him takes guts.

“The horse is made for me – he’s a bit numb – and he just keeps going. We had a light weight and had got plenty of experience, and we wanted to make use of those run under our belts.”

Much was expected of Grade 1-winning novice Kalif Du Berlais, but he looked to be on foreign territory from an early stage.

“He travelled fine and jumped okay but the writing was on the wall at the last down the back,” said Harry Cobden. “He looked like he wanted a trip there. That’s horses for you – they make you look silly when you think you’re going to win.”

BoyleSports

BetMGM Haldon Gold Cup Chase
(Limited Handicap)
£100,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 1f 109y, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Good

POS. DIST HORSE AGE, WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1    Thistle Ask 8 10-6 4ex Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 3/1
2 7 Saint Segal 7 11-4 Jane Williams Ciaran Gethings 8/1
3 15 JPR One 8 11-9 Joe Tizzard Brendan Powell 100/30
4 ½ Kalif Du Berlais 5 11-12 Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 13/8F
5 43 Martator 8 10-11 Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch 9/1
6 18 Here Comes Georgie 7 10-6 Dylan Cunha Lee Edwards 22/1

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