Jennings Bet Kingwell Hurdle |
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| Grade 2, Wincanton 13:36 £70,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m, Class 1  |
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1 Golden Ace 6/5F
2 Burdett Road 6/4
3
Hansard 14/1
4 ran Distances: ¾l, 4l, 12l
Time: 3m 56.00s (slow by 30.00s)
A superb finish in the BetMGM Kingwell Hurdle as Golden Ace comes out on top for Lorcan Williams and Jeremy Scott! 🏆@williams_lorcan | @BetMGMUK pic.twitter.com/QO2iUyLgJS
— Wincanton Racecourse (@wincantonraces) February 15, 2025
Golden Ace showed all her battling qualities to return to winning ways, edging out Burdett Road in a gripping duel to the line.
Jeremy Scott’s star mare, best known for toppling Brighterdaysahead in last season’s Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, had yet to hit those heights this term. But dropped back to two miles for this Grade Two test, she found her rhythm when it mattered.
Lorcan Williams had to get serious turning for home, the 6-5 favourite needing every ounce of encouragement. But respond she did—rallying tenaciously to outstay Christmas Hurdle third Burdett Road by three-quarters of a length.
For Williams, it was as much relief as celebration:
“I wasn’t happy at any stage, to be honest. Her jumping was just OK, and she never really travelled,” he admitted to Racing TV. “I knew the better ground was out wide, but I didn’t want to be out there the whole way. I had to tuck her in, get her going again—and she was just so tough.”
It has been a stop-start season for Golden Ace, and Williams believes there’s still more to come:
“She hasn’t been 100 per cent, and there’s definitely improvement in her. But she really ground it out today, and that was massive credit to Jeremy Scott’s team. I’m lucky to ride her, and wherever she goes next, she’ll have a big chance. If the owners want to take a swing at the Champion Hurdle, why not? But this was the big target, and it’s great to get it done.”
Owner Ian Gosden was equally thrilled, particularly given how unfamiliar Golden Ace found herself in the closing stages:
“She’s never really been off the bridle before—normally, she cruises to the last,” he said. “When she came under pressure, I thought that was it. But she kept finding, and that was a proper performance.”
And Cheltenham?
“Third in the Champion Hurdle? I’d take that!”
Burdett Road, who had chased home Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth at Kempton on Boxing Day, ran another big race in second, despite a costly mistake at the last. His jockey, Sam Twiston-Davies, believes the Champion Hurdle remains a live option:
“There’s 10 in there at the moment, and some of the mares might go elsewhere, so you’re maybe looking at eight runners,” he said. “He’d beat a fair few of them. He’s consistent, he tries hard, and some better ground would help him, too.”
A thrilling finish, and with Cheltenham on the horizon, the picture for the Champion Hurdle just got that little bit more interesting.
Wincanton Kingwell Hurdle (Grade 2)
£70,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m, Class 1
4 ran
Going: Soft, Good to Soft in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Golden Ace 7 11-0 Jeremy Scott Lorcan Williams 6/5F
2 ¾ Burdett Road 5 11-8 James Owen Sam Twiston-Davies 6/4
3 4 Hansard 7 11-8 Gary & Josh Moore Niall Houlihan 14/1
4 12 Brentford Hope 8 11-4 Harry Derham Paul O'Brien 11/2
