Betway Handicap Chase
Grade 3 Handicap,
Kempton Park 15:35
£100,000 added,
5yo plus, 3m, Class 1    
Saturday 22nd February 2020

Trainers Quotes

1 Mister Malarky 9/1
2 Black Corton 5/1F
3 Sametegal 9/1
14 ran Distances: 2l, ½l, 1½l
Time: 6m 5.20s (slow by 11.20s)

For the third successive Saturday, Jonjo O’Neill jnr teamed up to great effect with Colin Tizzard, following on from the Denman Chase success of Native River and last weekend’s Reynoldstown triumph with Copperhead.

Mister Malarky looked a possible star when winning last year’s Reynoldstown, but after three luckless runs before Christmas, he roared back to form in this Grade Three heat.

O’Neill jnr pushed him to the front turning for home, with the Paul Nicholls-trained pair of Black Corton and Sametegal doing their best to get back on terms jumping the last three obstacles.

Mister Malarky kept finding for pressure though, with a loose horse appearing to aid his task as he kept on to the line for a two-length victory over favourite Black Corton.

Sametegal took third, with the staying-on Whatmore bagging fourth place.

Trainers Quotes

Tizzard said: “The ground has come right and it proves he wasn’t quite 100 per cent early on in the season. I would say that is his best ever run.

“It was a brilliant ride from Jonjo O’Neill as he was shoving him along after a mile to keep up. He never missed a beat over the final five fences.

“He is in the Ultima and I’m sure he will go there if he comes out of this race OK, as that was the idea on better ground. This is the horse we saw last season.

“It was probably the ground (for last run). He was a good sixth in the Ladbrokes Trophy and he definitely got stuck in the heavy ground at Ascot.

“It is 63 days since he last ran as we just couldn’t run him, but in hindsight it has been the best thing we’ve done.”

He added: “I’ve no doubt we will talk about the Grand National next year. The National is not what it used to be as they are not the fences they were. It is a good staying race and this is a really good staying handicapper now.

“I’m chuffed for the horse and Wendy and Malcolm (Hezel, owners).”

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Betway Handicap Chase
£100,000 added, 5yo plus, 3m, Class 1
14 ran
Going: Good to Soft, Soft (in places)

POS DIST HORSE AGE WGT JOCKEY TRAINER SP
1    Mister Malarky 7 11-0 Colin Tizzard Jonjo O'Neill Jr 9/1
2  2 Black Corton 9 11-12 Paul Nicholls Bryony Frost 5/1F
3 ½ Sametegal 11 10-8 Paul Nicholls Bryan Carver 9/1
4 1½ Whatmore 8 10-5 Henry Daly Tom O'Brien 7/1
5 2 Kildisart 8 11-4 Ben Pauling Daryl Jacob 10/1
6 4¼ Adrien Du Pont 8 10-12 Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 7/1
7 8 Double Shuffle 10 11-3 Tom George Jonathan Burke 12/1
8 9 Romain De Senam 8 11-1 Paul Nicholls Harry Skelton 33/1
9 13 Crievehill 8 11-7 Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies 25/1
F Just A Sting 8 10-4 Harry Fry Sean Bowen 7/1
PU Azzerti 8 10-2 Alan King A P Heskin 25/1
PU Talkischeap 8 11-10 Alan King Tom Cannon 20/1
PU Dashing Perk 9 10-0 Dr Richard Newland Nico de Boinville 12/1
PU Highway One O One 8 10-11 Chris Gordon Leighton Aspell 10/1

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