Coral Gold Cup |
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| Grade 3 Handicap, Newbury 15:00 £250,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 3m 1f 214y, Class 1  |
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1 Kandoo Kid 8/1
2
Broadway Boy 4/1F
3
Victtorino 5/1
13 ran NR: Iron Bridge Distances: 1¾l, 3½l, 1¼l
Time: 6m 40.40s (slow by 12.40s)
A gutsy performance from Harry Cobden & Kandoo Kid!
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) November 30, 2024
They race away in the final stages to win the Coral Gold Cup Handicap Chase! 🏆#ITVRacing | @NewburyRacing | @CobdenHarry | @PFNicholls pic.twitter.com/hWSQWZBXdT
Kandoo Kid provided Paul Nicholls with a first success in this race since the legendary Denman's second victory in 2009.
As French contender General En Chef appeared poised for a stunning win down the long home straight, he ran out of steam after the final fence. Meanwhile, Kandoo Kid maintained his momentum and crossed the finish line a length and three-quarters ahead, with Broadway Boy, the 4-1 favorite, rallying to second place after recovering from a mistake three fences out. Kandoo Kid had also won on this same weekend a year ago and continued to perform solidly, including a third-place finish in the Topham at Aintree in April, which has set the stage for a potential Grand National bid next year.
Following this excellent seasonal debut, Nicholls told Sky Sports Racing, “He doesn’t need a lot of work and we planned it all around this race. I always believed he could win this because he loves it here. With decent ground and plenty of stamina, he performed exceptionally. He jumps well and travels smoothly, and Harry (Cobden) was able to manage his energy, bringing him home strongly. It’s been a great team effort to get him right, and now we can dream of Aintree. That’s probably our next goal, or perhaps one more run before that.”
Nicholls, who has a distinguished history in this contest, added, “This race is special to me. I won it on Playschool and Broadheath as a jockey, and then with Denman twice and Strong Flow as a trainer. Returning to the winner’s enclosure is fantastic.”
Harry Cobden told ITV Racing, “We thought last year he was made for a race like this, but we didn’t expect him to come here off a mark of 145. The horse has improved tremendously. Paul has trained him beautifully; it’s challenging to prepare a horse without a run for a race like this, and all the credit goes to the team at home. He was easy to steer around. We maintained a steady pace, controlled sensibly by Sammy (Twiston-Davies) on Broadway Boy, and I was always confident. This horse isn’t particularly quick, but he keeps finding more and really thrived over the three miles-plus.”
Kandoo Kid's victory not only highlights his potential but also sets the stage for an exciting season ahead, with Aintree firmly on the horizon.
Coral Gold Cup (Grade 3 Handicap)
£250,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 3m 1f 214y, Class 1
13 ran
Going: Good to Soft
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Kandoo Kid 8 11-5 Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 8/1
2 1¾ Broadway Boy 6 11-8 Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies 4/1F
3 3½ Victtorino 6 11-3 Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch 5/1
4 1¼ General En Chef 8 11-8 Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm Benjamin Gelhay 9/1
5 1 Henry's Friend 7 10-13 Ben Pauling Ben Jones 14/1
6 3¼ Senior Chief 7 11-11 Henry De Bromhead Darragh O'Keeffe 9/2
7 1¼ Galia Des Liteaux 8 11-4 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 14/1
8 5½ Grandero Bello 8 11-7 Eddie & Patrick Harty Ricky Doyle 33/1
9 2¾ Horantzau d'Airy 7 11-9 W P Mullins Danny Mullins 14/1
10 17 Sam Brown 12 12-0 Anthony Honeyball Freddie Gingell 16/1
11 5½ Colonel Harry 7 11-8 Jamie Snowden Gavin Sheehan 10/1
12 13 Midnight River 9 11-11 Dan Skelton James Bowen 28/1
UR
Remastered 11 11-5 David Pipe Jack Tudor 33/1
NR 14 Iron Bridge 8 10-10 Jonjo & A J O'Neill NON RUNNER
