Betfair Henry VIII Novices' Chase |
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| Grade 1, Sandown 13:50 £100,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 119y, Class 1  |
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1 L'Eau Du Sud 10/11F
2 Touch Me Not 5/1
3 Down Memory Lane 2/1
4 ran NR: Rubaud Distances: 3¾l, 4¼l, 30l
Time: 4m 8.26s (slow by 18.66s)
L’Eau du Sud makes it 3-3 over fences to land the G1 @Betfair Henry VIII Novices’ Chase
— Betfair Racing (@BetfairRacing) December 7, 2024
6/1 from 9/1 for the Arkle 🏆 pic.twitter.com/tb60d6bHmz
L’Eau Du Sud continued his stellar season with an impressive victory. Sent off as the 10-11 favourite following a striking performance at Cheltenham, he had to demonstrate his versatility by winning in a completely different manner this time.
Gordon Elliott had high hopes for his two promising chasers, Down Memory Lane and Touch Me Not, ensuring a competitive race. However, Down Memory Lane struggled with his jumping early on, and Mark Walsh was constantly urging him forward. Touch Me Not set a strong pace but made a significant mistake down the back straight, which allowed the others to close in.
Despite meeting the second last fence poorly and landing awkwardly after the last, L’Eau Du Sud showed remarkable resilience under Harry Skelton to reassert his lead and win by three and three-quarter lengths for trainer Dan Skelton. The jockey commented to ITV Racing, “The ground was hard work; it’s deep now. He bunny-hopped the last, but he’s a tough horse and has won ugly when he needed to.”
Reflecting on the race, he added, “He’ll have a little break now and probably one run before the Arkle. He’s a fit horse, and Dan knows how to run them when they are in top form. He’s shown today that the ground doesn’t really matter. I think he’s got it all and will really enjoy some nice spring ground.”
Betfair reacted to the win by cutting L’Eau Du Sud’s odds for the Arkle in March from 9-1 to 6-1. Trainer Dan expressed his delight, saying, “I’m delighted as it’s the first time he’s been in a bit of a fight. He was very unpolished over the last and second last, but that’s just him getting it done over the jumps in sticky ground. He was travelling particularly well throughout, and he definitely wants slightly better ground to be seen at his absolute best.”
Looking ahead, Skelton said, “We’ll give him his flu vaccination, a little freshen up, and he’ll either go for the Kingmaker at Warwick or Super Saturday at Newbury, depending on where Harry has to be. I want him at his peak for the Arkle, and I think we have a pretty exciting contender.”
Elliott, watching from Navan, commented on his runners, saying, “Touch Me Not almost took a fence with him, so he did very well to finish second. For Down Memory Lane, it all happened very fast for him. He didn’t jump badly, just very carefully, and did well to finish where he did. There’ll be other days for him, hopefully.”
Henry VIII Novices' Chase (Grade 1)
£100,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 119y, Class 1
4 ran
Going: Soft, Good to Soft in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 L'Eau du Sud 6 11-7 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 10/11
2 3¾ Touch Me Not 5 11-7 Gordon Elliott Jordan Gainford 5/1
3 4¼ Down Memory Lane 6 11-7 Gordon Elliott Mark Walsh 2/1
4 30 Soul Icon 7 11-7 Keiran Burke Gavin Sheehan 16/1
NR 3 Rubaud 6 11-7 Paul Nicholls NON RUNNER
