Fitzdares Peterborough Chase |
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| Grade 2, Huntingdon 14:00 £65,000 added, 4yo plus, 2m 3f 189y, Class 1  |
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| Sunday 8th December 2019 |
1 Top Notch 15/8F
2 Kauto Riko 100/1
3 La Bague Au Roi 11/4
6 ran Distances: ¾l, 2½l, 4l
Time: 4m 54.10s (slow by 6.10s)
Top Notch - what a horse!
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 8, 2019
Form over fences:
311112311411P1 @sevenbarrows @Dazjacob10 @Huntingdon_Race pic.twitter.com/2hRUTD8BFH
After claiming the Grade Two prize in 2017 when it was transferred to Taunton, the Nicky Henderson-trained Top Notch joined an elite list of dual winners of the two-and-a-half-mile contest when following up his comeback win at Aintree over hurdles last month.
Passing long-time leader La Bague Au Roi going over the penultimate fence, the 15-8 favourite dug deep after the last to repel the late challenge of outsider of the field Kauto Riko by three-quarters of a length.
Henderson said: “It is great that he has come back and won this. If the general election was this morning this fellow would be Prime Minister because everybody just loves him.
“If you said what is the most popular stalwart in the place – I know there are better horses – this fellow would be the one, as he doesn’t know how to do anything wrong.
“You can go hurdling, you can go three miles or two miles, but you wouldn’t find a nicer person.
“You only need 10 horses like him and I’d love life.
“He has been placed in a Triumph Hurdle and he never looked remotely like a steeplechaser as he is not big enough, but he has just got a heart of gold.
“They had gone hard which suits, as he stays. He had a tongue tie on him today as Nico (de Boinville) thought at Aintree he was a little bit raspy.
“He had worn a tongue tie at home, but he wasn’t sure about it early in the race and he wasn’t quite facing it. He is like a terrier and as soon as the scrap starts we are in good shape. If we can smell the rat he will get there.”
The Lambourn handler earmarked the recently-upgraded Grade Two Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton next month as the next port of call for Top Notch.
Henderson added: “That’s a good enough race (Silviniaco Conti) for him, but we will work him and see how he is and he will tell us where he wants to go.”
Fitzdares Peterborough Chase
£65,000 added, 4yo plus, 2m 3f 189y, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Good to Soft
1 Top Notch 8 11-4 Nicky Henderson Daryl Jacob 15/8F
2 ¾ Kauto Riko 8 11-0 Tom Gretton David Noonan 100/1
3 2½ La Bague Au Roi 8 10-10 Warren Greatrex Richard Johnson 11/4
4 4 Born Survivor 8 11-4 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 16/1
5 17 Aso 9 11-4 Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch 2/1
PU Charbel 8 11-6 Kim Bailey Harry Cobden 11/1
