bet365 AP McCoy Celebration Chase |
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| Grade 1, Sandown 15:15 £125,000 added, 5yo plus, 2m, Class 1  |
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| Saturday 25th April 2015 | |
1 Special Tiara 3/1F
2 Sprinter Sacre 4/1
3 Mr Mole 4/1
7 ran Distances: 6l, 3¾l, 5l
TIME 3m 48.50s (slow by 2.50s)
The Henry de Bromhead-trained Special Tiara beats Sprinter Sacre and Mr Mole to win the Grade 1 Celebration Chase
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Tony McCoy raced prominently on the Paul Nicholls-trained Mr Mole but the writing was on the wall as he began to push along at the third-last fence as eventual winner Special Tiara kicked for home.
While Mr Mole kept on at the one pace, McCoy could not reel back the 3-1 favourite, who ran out a six-length victor.
Former champion two-mile chaser Sprinter Sacre returned to something like his old self in second.
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"I've had a great way of life for the last 25 years, and working with great people has made it that much more enjoyable."
Winning rider Noel Fehily said of the imminent departure of McCoy: "It's very sad to see him go. We have been very close for the last number of years and it's a sad day for racing."
Nicky Henderson, trainer of Sprinter Sacre, has enjoyed many good days with McCoy, with Champion Hurdle winner Binocular and Grade One scorer My Tent Or Yours two recent stars for the partnership.
Henderson said: "He's been a great ally, a great friend and a great competitor. What a lovely guy to work with. He's just the ultimate professional.
"We are going to miss him and racing is going to miss him. He's put racing on the front page and has brought this crowd here - that tells you everything."
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On Sprinter Sacre, Henderson said: "I have to be pleased with that as he looked fantastic and he ran his race. It was an awful shame they watered the course at this time of year when he's a horse that blatantly wants good ground.
"I think we had reason to come here to see how he did in his next race. I don't see any reason to stop and we can build on that.
"He made a bit of a noise at Cheltenham but made no noise today and there was no sign of blood. He travelled well and finished his race - that was a shoot."
bet365 AP Mccoy Celebration Chase
£125,000 added, 5yo plus, 2m, Class 1
7 ran
Going: Good, Good to Soft in places
| Pos | Dist | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Special Tiara 3/1f | N D Fehily 11-7 |
H de Bromhead | 8 | |
| 2nd | 6 | Sprinter Sacre (FR) 4/1 | Nico de Boinville 11-7 |
N J Henderson | 9 |
| 3rd | 3¾ | Mr Mole (IRE) 4/1 | A P McCoy 11-7 |
P F Nicholls | 7 |
| 4th | 5 | Vibrato Valtat (FR) 7/1 | Sam Twiston-Davies 11-7 |
P F Nicholls | 6 |
| 5th | nse | Somersby (IRE) 5/1 | B Hughes 11-7 |
M R Channon | 11 |
| 6th | 45 | Court Minstrel (IRE) 16/1 | Paul Moloney 11-7 |
Evan Williams | 8 |
| F | God's Own (IRE) 5/1 | P J Brennan 11-7 |
T R George | 7 |
