SBK Supreme Trial Rossington Main Novices' Hurdle |
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| Grade 2, (Haydock Park) Doncaster 13:30 £40,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 128y, Class 1  |
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1 Jeriko Du Reponet 4/6F
2 Lump Sum 9/2
3 Fiercely Proud 6/1
5 ran Distances: 1¼l, ¾l, 5l
Time: 4m 0.03s (slow by 11.03s)
“The race wasn’t run to suit, we went too slow and it turned into a sprint"
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) January 27, 2024
Jeriko Du Reponet drifts in the betting for Cheltenham Festival after Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle win... pic.twitter.com/KJUUQyHZCJ
Jeriko Du Reponet maintained his undefeated status but was underwhelming in the process. As the 4-6 favorite, the five-year-old trained by Nicky Henderson aimed to secure a spot in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle following two easy victories at Newbury.
In this race, he encountered tougher opposition with Fiercely Proud from Ben Pauling's stable and Lump Sum from Sam Thomas' yard, both also boasting unbeaten records over hurdles. Additionally, Nicky Richards' The Kalooki Kid was a dual winner.
Originally scheduled for Haydock the previous week without Jeriko Du Reponet, the Grade Two race was diverted to Donvaster and Mark Walsh traveled from Ireland for the ride. Despite a few questionable jumps, Jeriko Du Reponet performed well and appeared poised for a comfortable victory.
However, Fiercely Proud lived up to its name, putting up a determined fight. Lump Sum then presented the final challenge before Jeriko Du Reponet secured the win by a length and a quarter.
Despite the victory, bookmakers were unimpressed, with Quinnbet adjusting the odds for the Supreme from 5-1 to 7-1. Walsh attributed the challenging race to a slow early pace and anticipates improvement from Jeriko Du Reponet in future races based on the gained experience.
He said: “We went no gallop early, which didn’t suit, and he didn’t even jump great early considering we were going so slow.
“When we picked up going into the straight, he was electric over the last three (hurdles). Early on he was a bit sloppy, but I think that was because he thought he was just going round for a school.
“The race wasn’t run to suit, we went too slow and it turned into a sprint, that was the reading I got.
“In his other races he was just cantering around, but he really had to fight today and he put his head down when I wanted him.
“He’s a lovely horse, he can only beat what’s in front of him and he showed a good attitude.
“He’s only five and I think he’ll keep improving.”
Henderson, speaking after Jonbon’s surprise defeat at Cheltenham, said: “He had to have a scrap and I think they were decent horses, it was a proper race.
“He will have learnt a lot today.”
Rossington Main Novices' Hurdle
(Grade 2)
£55,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 144y, Class 1
5 ran
Going: Good, Good to Soft in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Jeriko Du Reponet 5 11-4 Nicky Henderson Mark Walsh 4/6F
2 1¼ Lump Sum 6 11-4 Sam Thomas Tom Cannon 9/2
3 ¾ Fiercely Proud 5 11-4 Ben Pauling Brian Hughes 6/1
4 5 The Kalooki Kid 6 11-4 Nicky Richards Danny McMenamin 12/1
5 7 El Elefante 6 10-11 Lucinda Russell Patrick Wadge 11/1
