Sky Bet Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle |
|
| Grade 2, Kempton Park 15:00 £30,000 added, 4yo only, 2m, Class 1  |
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| Saturday 25th February 2017 | |
1 River Wylde 11/4
2
Elgin 3/1
3
Peter The Mayo Man 9/2
7 ran NR: Captain Forez (unsuitable ground) Distances: 3½l, 3l, 3¾l
Time: 3m 46.60s (slow by 4.60s)
River Wylde takes his form to new heights
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After watching leading Triumph and Supreme contender Charli Parcs take a late fall in the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle earlier on the card, Seven Barrows handler Nicky Henderson had his spirits lifted as River Wylde claimed the Grade Two contest to make it three wins from as many starts over hurdles.
Travelling strongly throughout the two-mile prize, the 11/4 shot moved on with eventual runner-up Elgin past early leader and favourite Capitaine over the second-last.
After jumping the final flight big, River Wylde knuckled down well on the run-in to cross the line three and a half lengths to the good.
Following the race the winner was cut from 25/1 into 12/1 for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle by big-race sponsors Sky Bet.
Henderson said: "He is very quick. They've (owners) got two horses, Lough Derg Spirit is the other one, he won at Musselburgh, and it is amazing how similar they are. They both want two miles and want good ground and are both point-to-pointers.
"Both are incredibly quick hurdlers, now we have got to decide what to do with each of them. I think this one probably wants minding a bit, the other one might be a bit more streetwise.
"This fellow can drop in a bit and travel well throughout a race. He will be good off a strong pace, but he is just a bit babyish. I suppose one will run there (Cheltenham) and one at Aintree."
Sky Bet Dovecote Novices' Hurdle
£30,000 added, 4yo plus, 2m, Class 1
7 ran
Going: Good, Good to Soft in places
| Pos | D | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | River Wylde (IRE) 11/4 | Nico de Boinville 11-6 |
N J Henderson | 6 | |
| 2nd | 3½ | Elgin 3/1 | Tom Cannon 11-9 |
A King | 5 |
| 3rd | 3 | Peter The Mayo Man (IRE) 9/2 | N D Fehily 11-9 |
N P Mulholland | 7 |
| 4th | 3¾ | Capitaine (FR) 7/4f | Sam Twiston-Davies 11-9 |
P F Nicholls | 5 |
| 5th | 17 | Bazooka (IRE) 80/1 | James Banks 11-2 |
D Flood | 6 |
| 6th | 6 | Ronnie Baird 250/1 | Robert Hawker 10-7 |
Mrs L J Young | 4 |
| 7th | 12 | Mister Universum (GER) 33/1 | Harry Skelton 11-2 |
D Skelton | 5 |
| NR | Captain Forez (FR) 5/1 | Harry Skelton 11-2 |
D Skelton | 5 |
