bet365 Gold Cup
Sandown 15:35
Grade 3 Handicap,
£150,000 added, 5yo plus,
3m 4f 166y, Class 1    
Saturday 29th April 2017

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1 Henllan Harri 40/1
2 Vyta Du Roc 6/1
3 Theatre Guide 20/1
13 ran Distances: hd, nk, nk
Time: 7m 22.60s (slow by 7.60s)

Henllan Harri caused a 40-1 upset when he just held on from Vyta Du Roc in a thrilling finish.

The nine-year-old, trained by Peter Bowen and ridden by his son Sean, made most of the running and kept all-comers at bay as he captured the last big steeplechase of the season.

Henllan Harri was 4lb wrong at the weights but that did not stop him from landing the spoils for the Pembrokeshire stable.

The pack closed in up the final hill, but Henllan Harri got the verdict by a head from the Nicky Henderson-trained Vyta Du Roc (6-1), with Colin Tizzard's Theatre Guide (20-1) just a neck away third.

The winning rider said: "I thought I had (won) but then Daryl (Jacob, on Vyta Du Roc) said he'd won it.

"He held on well and battled on very hard. He did what he does best. He stuck on well all the way and stayed every yard.

"He's very tough."

Peter Bowen said: "That makes it twice as special with Sean riding. He only had 10st, which helped, but he was 4lb out of the handicap - however he handles that ground.

"We were not sure about the trip but he stayed it well. I thought he would run well and I thought he would be in the first six.

"He ran above himself, I would say. We were a bit worried as he has always jumped a bit left but he jumped really straight.

"He will have a long break now and we will see what he does early on in the season. On that form, if he goes up high enough he could be seen as a National horse."

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Bet365 Gold Cup Chase
£150,000 added, 5yo plus, 3m 4f 166y, Class 1
13 runners
Going: Good, Good to Firm in places

No Form Horse Weight Jockey Trainer Age
1 281 738 Theatre Guide (IRE) 46 11-12 bt P J Brennan C L Tizzard 10
2 02-4 P10 Just A Par (IRE) 21 11-9 b Harry Cobden P F Nicholls 10
3 31-F 06F The Young Master 21 11-8 p Mr S Waley-Cohen (3) N P Mulholland 8
4 150 P-U9 Le Reve (IRE) 27 11-6 b L P Aspell Mrs L Wadham 9
5 62P 5-97 The Druids Nephew (IRE) 46 11-3 v1 N D Fehily N P Mulholland 10
6 1U1 141 Present Man (IRE) 27 11-2 t Jack Sherwood (3) P F Nicholls 7
7 132 412 Rock The Kasbah (IRE) 42 11-2 R Johnson P J Hobbs 7
8 55-3 6P5 Vyta Du Roc (FR) 78 10-11 D A Jacob N J Henderson 8
9 P31/ 1-20 Whats Happening (IRE) 44 10-10 t A P Heskin T R George 10
10 105 8-P3 Benbens (IRE) 7 10-9 Sam Twiston-Davies N A Twiston-Davies 12
11 0-1F 36F Sugar Baron (IRE) 7 10-8 p Nico de Boinville N J Henderson 7
12 F-52 221 Doing Fine (IRE) 10 10-3 pt T Scudamore N P Mulholland 9
13 325 123 Henllan Harri (IRE) 20 10-0 b Sean Bowen P Bowen 9

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