BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup |
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| Grade 3 Handicap, Newbury 15:45 £100,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 3f 187y, Class 1  |
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1 Booster Bob 16/1
2
Vincenzo 5/1
3 Saint Segal 10/1
14 ran NR: Iroko, Midnight River
Distances: 1¼l, 4½l, 5½l
What a ride from @Sean_Bowen_! 😲
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) March 1, 2025
Booster Bob comes from nowhere to win the @BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup at @NewburyRacing for @O_J_murphy91... pic.twitter.com/HaUIEOqFD9
Sean Bowen produced a ride for the ages as Booster Bob defied both logic and distance to win in extraordinary fashion.
With Saint Segal and well-backed favourite Billytherealbigred setting a ferocious early gallop, Olly Murphy’s charge found himself completely outpaced, soon adrift and seemingly with no say in the matter. Even as the race began to unfold, there was little sign of revival—Saint Segal continuing to pour it on while others wilted in his wake.
Among those struggling to keep up was Kandoo Kid, Paul Nicholls’ Coral Gold Cup hero never landing a blow, but Vincenzo loomed large approaching the closing stages, looking poised to hand Sam Thomas another major Saturday triumph.
But from out of the clouds, Booster Bob suddenly engaged top gear. Ghosting past tiring rivals as though in a different race, he was eating up the ground with every stride and, incredibly, by the time he met the last, there was only one outcome. Bowen had timed it to perfection, guiding the 16-1 shot home a length and a quarter clear of Vincenzo, with Saint Segal rallying bravely for third.
An incredulous Bowen told Sky Sports Racing: “I don’t know how that happened! I actually fancied him today—he’s got bags of ability, but we’ve probably been running him over the wrong trip. We always thought he wanted three miles, and today he’s proved it.”
“He’s a quirky one—careful with his jumping, prefers softer ground, but once he got rolling, he absolutely took off. By the back of the ditch, I thought I could win.”
Murphy, meanwhile, was equally taken aback. “Halfway round, I thought I was getting sacked—and Sean too! He just couldn’t go early on, and I was ready to pull him up and save him for another day. Then, all of a sudden, he was tanking through them.
“What a ride by Sean—just brilliant. These are the races you want to be winning.”
Owner Grahame Whateley, meanwhile, had reason to celebrate beyond the result. “He told me this morning he hadn’t had a bet for 20 years—but he stuck a fiver each-way on Booster Bob. Fair to say, he picked the right day!”
Greatwood Gold Cup (Grade 3 Handicap)
£100,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 3f 187y, Class 1
14 ran
Going: Soft, Good to Soft in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Booster Bob 7 10-2 Olly Murphy Sean Bowen 16/1
2 1¼ Vincenzo 7 10-10 Sam Thomas Dylan Johnston 5/1
3 4½ Saint Segal 7 11-1 Jane Williams David Noonan 10/1
4 5½ Beau Balko 7 10-5 Paul Nicholls Ben Bromley 10/1
5 5½ Prince Quali 8 10-3 Robert Walford Harry Kimber 10/1
6 1¾ Le Milos 10 11-5 Dan Skelton Harry Atkins 18/1
7 1¾ Billytherealbigred 5 10-8 Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero Toby Wynne 9/4F
8 hd Kandoo Kid 9 12-0 Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 9/1
9 8 Tedley 6 10-4 Nigel Twiston-Davies Jamie Brace 12/1
10 2½ Scarface 8 10-5 Joe Tizzard Brendan Powell 10/1
11 nk Kotmask 7 10-8 Gary & Josh Moore Caoilin Quinn 16/1
PU Paint The Dream 11 10-11 David Brace Connor Brace 28/1
PU
Spyglass Hill 12 10-5 Barry Brennan Ciaran Gethings 100/1
PU
Light N Strike 9 11-1 Emma Lavelle Jack Tudor 100/1
NR 2 Iroko 7 12-0 Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero NON RUNNER
NR 3 Midnight River 10 11-7 Dan Skelton NON RUNNER
