Betfair Hurdle
Grade 3 Handicap, Newbury 15:35 £155,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 69y, Class 1
Tweet Saturday 11th February 2023

1 Aucunrisque 9/1
2 Filey Bay 4/1F
3 Teddy Blue 10/1
4 Yorksea 20/1
16 ran NR: Deere Mark, Hacker Des Places
Distances: 1l, 11l, ¾l Time: 3m 41.40s (fast by 5.60s)

Aucunrisque beats favourite Filey Bay to land the @Betfair Hurdle at Newbury under @NickScholfield1 for @Chrisgordonrac1 pic.twitter.com/ULGFU7Q8n5 https://t.co/LmWaQJvjIS via @RacingBetter

— RacingBetter (@RacingBetter) February 11, 2023

Trainer Chris Gordon has had his string in red-hot form in recent weeks and had already celebrated a winner earlier on the card when Annual Invictus scored under his son, Freddie.

Gordon fielded two in Europe’s richest handicap hurdle, with Highway One O Two also running. But it was Aucunrisque who was always to the head of affairs under Nick Scholfield.

The winning jockey had spent most of the last year on the sidelines but looked far from rusty on the 9-1 shot.

He did appear a sitting duck, however, as Donagh Meyler loomed up on Filey Bay- but a mistake two out gave the initiative back to Aucunrisque.

The pair pulled 11 lengths clear of Teddy Blue and Yorksea, the Gary Moore pair in third and fourth, but it was Aucunrisque who was a length in front at the line.

Gordon said of the winner, who spent the first half of the season novice chasing: “We’ll go for the Grand Annual with him now.

“He is a wonderful, tough, consistent horse. He gives me no issues. Like the other horse (in the race). They are wonderful, easy horses to train. This one is so consistent. It just makes life so much easier when they are straightforward, which he is. Let’s have a little crack at the Grand Annual and see how we go.”

He went on: “He is owned by the guv’nor (Julian Head, Goodwin Racing), who sponsors half my yard, so it is fantastic, so I will probably take him into the bar and try to sell him another horse. He has fallen for that too many times.

“This race meant a lot to me growing up. It was the old Schweppes Hurdle. I just always remember that Ryan Price thing (trained four of the first five winners). I always thought ‘those clever trainers’ – and I must hasten to add I’ve proved the whole philosophy wrong – those shrewd trainers won it and now I have. I thought my other horse would win, so I’ve proved that completely wrong.

“I went to Josh Gifford’s when I was 14 years old on work experience from my school. Because I was such a delinquent at school, they used to send me off on special escapades. So they sent me to Josh’s. That Ryan Price/Josh Gifford (was the jockey on all of Price’s winners) thing means it is a very important race to me,

“This ranks right up there on memorable days, especially with my son winning the earlier race. It is a special day, a really special day.”

He added: “We were going to go for the Lightning Chase at Doncaster, but I thought if I get lucky and go and win it, he might go up a couple of pounds. So I thought let’s have a go at a proper race and it has worked out.”

He quipped: “I told Nick to tuck in and let them make it, and burst through at the second-last. Maybe if he’d have done that, he might have won by 10 lengths!”

Betfair Hurdle (Handicap) (Grade 3)
£155,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 69y, Class 1
16 ran
Going: Good, Good to Firm in places

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1    Aucunrisque 7 11-4 Chris Gordon Nick Scholfield 9/1
2 1 Filey Bay 7 10-13 Emmet Mullins Donagh Meyler 4/1F
3 11 Teddy Blue 5 10-13 5ex Gary Moore Caoilin Quinn 10/1
4 ¾ Yorksea 5 10-6 Gary Moore Niall Houlihan 20/1
5 ¾ Monviel 6 10-10 Philip Hobbs Tom O'Brien 12/1
6 2¼ Master Chewy 6 10-4 Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies 8/1
7 ½ Highway One O Two 8 11-9 Chris Gordon Gavin Sheehan 14/1
8 5½ Tritonic 6 11-7 Alan King A P Heskin 20/1
9 nk No Ordinary Joe 7 11-5 Nicky Henderson James Bowen 6/1
10 4¼ Rubaud 5 10-10 Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 8/1
11 1¾ Onemorefortheroad 8 10-13 Neil King Jack Quinlan 33/1
12 4 Restitution 5 10-7 Alan King Alexander Thorne 33/1
13 18 Glory And Fortune 8 12-0 Tom Lacey Stan Sheppard 33/1
14 8½ Icare Allen 5 11-12 W P Mullins Jonjo O'Neill Jr 12/1
PU Faivoir 8 11-4 Dan Skelton Bridget Andrews 25/1
PU Glorious Zoff 6 10-6 Fergal O'Brien Connor Brace 100/1
NR 4 Hacker Des Places 6 11-8 5ex Paul Nicholls NON RUNNER
NR 17 Deere Mark 6 10-5 Sam Thomas NON RUNNER

The Betfair Hurdle – Roll of Honour

YEAR WINNER TRAINER JOCKEY AGE/WEIGHT SP RAN

2022 GLORY AND FORTUNE Tom Lacey Stan Sheppard 7 11-8 20/1 14
2021 SOARING GLORY Jonjo O'Neill Jonjo O'Neill Jr 6-10-07 17/2 23
2020 PIC D'ORHY Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 05-11-05 33/1 24
2019 AL DANCER Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies 06-11-08 5/2F 14
2018 KALASHNIKOV Miss Amy Murphy Jack Quinlan 05-11-05 8/1C 24
2017 BALLYANDY Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies 06-11-01 3/1F 16
2016 AGRAPART Nick Williams Lizzie Kelly 05-10-05 16/1 22
2015 VIOLET DANCER Gary Moore Joshua Moore 05-10-09 20/1 23
2014 SPLASH OF GINGE Nigel Twiston-Davies Ryan Hatch 06-10-03 33/1 20
2013 MY TENT OR YOURS Nicky Henderson A P McCoy 06-11-02 5/1F 21
2012 ZARKANDAR Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 05-11-01 11/4F 20
2011 RECESSION PROOF John Quinn Dougie Costello 05-10-08 12/1 15
2010 GET ME OUT OF HERE Jonjo O'Neill A P McCoy 06-10-06 6/1 23
2009 Abandoned - Snow
2008 WINGMAN Gary Moore Jamie Moore 06-10-00 14/1 24
2007 HEATHCOTE Gary Moore Jamie Moore 05-10-06 50/1 20
2006 Abandoned - Frost
2005 ESSEX Michael O'Brien IRE Barry Geraghty 05-11-06 4/1F 25
2004 GEOS Nicky Henderson Marcus Foley 09-10-09 16/1 25
2003 SPIRIT LEADER Jessica Harrington IRE Norman Williamson 07-10-00 14/1 27
2002 COPELAND Martin Pipe A P McCoy 07-11-07 13/2 16
2001 LANDING LIGHT Nicky Henderson Mick Fitzgerald 06-10-02 4/1F 20
2000 GEOS Nicky Henderson Mick Fitzgerald 05-11-03 15/2 17
1999 DECOUPAGE Charles Egerton Jimmy McCarthy 07-11-00 6/1 18
1998 SHARPICAL Nicky Henderson Mick Fitzgerald 06-11-01 10/1 14
1997 MAKE A STAND Martin Pipe Chris Maude 06-11-07 6/1 18
1996 SQUIRE SILK Andy Turnell Paul Carberry 07-10-12 13/2 18
1995 MYSILV Charles Egerton Jamie Osborne 05-10-08 9/4F 8
1994 LARGE ACTION Oliver Sherwood Jamie Osborne 06-10-08 9/2 11
1993 KING CREDO Steve Woodman Adrian Maguire 08-10-00 10/1 16
1992 RODEO STAR Nigel Tinkler Graham McCourt 06-10-10 15/2 15
1991 Abandoned - Frost
1990 DEEP SENSATION Josh Gifford Richard Rowe 05-11-03 7/1 17
1989 GREY SALUTE John Jenkins Richard Dunwoody 06-11-05 8/1 10
1988 JAMESMEAD David Elsworth Brendan Powell 07-10-00 11/1 19
1987 NEBLIN Toby Balding Stan Moore 08-10-00 10/1 21
1986 Abandoned – Snow
1985 Abandoned – Snow
1984 RA NOVA Nan Kennedy Paddy Farrell 05-10-06 16/1 26
1983 Abandoned - Snow & Frost
1982 DONEGAL PRINCE Paul Kelleway John Francome 06-10-08 13/1 27
1981 Abandoned – Waterlogged
1980 BOOTLACES David Barons Paul Leach 06-10-09 20/1 21
1979 WITHIN THE LAW Peter Easterby Alan Brown 05-11-04 25/1 28
1978 Abandoned – Frost
1977 TRUE LAD Bill Swainson Tommy Stack 07-10-04 14/1 27
1976 IRISH FASHION Michael Cunningham IRE Ron Barry 05-10-04 16/1 29
1975 TAMMUZ Fulke Walwyn Bill Smith 07-10-13 18/1 28
1974 Abandoned – Waterlogged
1973 INDIANAPOLIS John Sutcliffe snr Jeff King 06-10-06 15/2 26
1972 GOOD REVIEW Jim Dreaper IRE Val O'Brien 06-10-09 8/1 26
1971 CALA MESQUIDA John Sutcliffe snr John Cook 07-10-09 33/1 23
1970 Abandoned - Snow & Frost
1969 Abandoned - Frost
1968 PERSIAN WAR Colin Davies Jimmy Uttley 05-11-13 9/2F 33
1967 HILL HOUSE Ryan Price Josh Gifford 07-10-10 9/1 28
1966 LE VERMONTOIS Ryan Price Josh Gifford 05-11-03 15/2 28
1965 ELAN John Sutcliffe jnr David Nicholson 06-10-07 9/2F 21
1964 ROSYTH Ryan Price Josh Gifford 06-10-02 10/1 24
1963 ROSYTH Ryan Price Josh Gifford 05-10-00 20/1 41