Sky Bet Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle |
|
| Grade 2,
Kempton Park
15:00 £22,500 added, 4yo only, 2m, Class 1  |
|
| Saturday 27th February 2021 | |
1 Cape Gentleman 5/2
2 Calico
11/4
3 Lunar Sovereign 16/1
7 ran Distances: ¾l, 7½l, 2¾l
Time: 3m 45.50s (slow by 3.50s)
🇮🇪 Irish raider Cape Gentleman takes the Dovecote Hurdle in tenacious fashion for @JJONeillJnr and Emmet Mullins!pic.twitter.com/l9lO2N8XRV
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) February 27, 2021
Jonjo O'Neill Junior was in front two out aboard Irish raider Cape Gentleman but he appeared to be a sitting duck with the strong-travelling Calico in his slipstream.
He came off the bridle going to the last, where the winner was again more fluent, and while Calico briefly went to the front afterwards, Cape Gentleman rallied bravely and was firmly on top at the finish, scoring by three-quarters-of-a-length.
Favourite Atholl Street faded tamely having set out to make all and was beaten turning for home.
The winning jockey said: “I thought Harry (Cobden) might just give me a go at the last as Calico has a lot of Flat form, but I didn’t want to be a sitting duck. He has battled hard. He won a Cheltenham trial today and he’d be entitled to go to Cheltenham.
“It was a very good training performance. He has only had the two runs, but he ran poorly the last day, so that’s why he dropped back in trip, which helped him.
“He loved the (good) ground and was very straightforward today. He battled hard after the last and I’m delighted with his performance.
“Emmet said he was in good form at home. I suppose they can have blips every now and again and the considerable drop back in trip definitely helped.
“As for Cheltenham, I’m not sure he is in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, but he is in the Albert Bartlett and the Ballymore, and it looks like the Ballymore would be an obvious one.”
Sky Bet Dovecote Novices' Hurdle
£22,500 added, 4yo plus, 2m, Class 1
7 ran
Going: Good, Good to Soft in places
1 Cape Gentleman 5 11-2 Emmet Mullins Jonjo O'Neill Jr 5/2
2 ¾ Calico 5 11-2 2 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 11/4
3 7½ Lunar Sovereign 5 11-2 Fergal O'Brien Paddy Brennan 16/1
4 2¾ Mackenberg 6 11-2 Donald McCain Sam Twiston-Davies 28/1
5 8½ Son Of Red 4 10-10 Alan King Tom Cannon 18/1
6 24 Pyramid Place 4 10-7 Milton Harris Harry Reed 28/1
PU Atholl Street 6 11-2 Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 7/4F
