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| Cheltenham Festival 15th - 18th March 2005 |
2.00pm JEWSON NOVICES’ HANDICAP CHASE
Class A, Listed Race, £80,000 Guaranteed. For 5yo+, 2m 5f. Weights: highest weight 11st 10lb; minimum weight 10st 4lb. Penalties: after February 27, a winner of a chase 4lb - no penalty to increase a horse’s weight above 11st 10lb. Penalty Values: 1st: £46,400; 2nd: £17,600; 3rd: £8,800; 4th: £4,000; 5th: £2,000; 6th: £1,200
1) KING HARALD (Piers Pottinger & P B-J Partnership) Mark Bradstock 7-10-04 Mattie Batchelor 9/1
2) LACDOUDAL (Carol Skan) Philip Hobbs 6-11-10 Richard Johnson 12/1
3) SEE YOU SOMETIME (J A G Meaden) Seamus Mullins 10-11-03 Andrew Thornton 12/1
4) SIR OJ (Brian Keenan) Noel Meade IRE b8-10-11 Paul Carberry 18/1
5) LE PASSING (The Hon Mrs & J R Townshend) Paul Nicholls 6-11-10 Ruby Walsh
6) ERIC'S CHARM (Martin St Quinton & Peter Deal) Oliver Sherwood 7-11-05 Leighton Aspell
7) QUAZAR (C D Carr) Jonjo O'Neill t7-11-06 Tony McCoy
8) ST MATTHEW (Keith Nicholson) Sue Smith 7-11-01 Dominic Elsworth
9) LIVERPOOL ECHO (Million In Mind Partnership) Henry Daly 5-10-06 Mark Bradburne
10) SONEVAFUSHI (Brian Dice, D Jinks) Venetia Williams 7-11-00 Sam Thomas
11) BIZET (Aidan Foley) Francis Flood IRE 9-10-06 John Cullen
12) TANA RIVER (The Frisky Fillies) Emma Lavelle 9-11-00 Noel Fehily
BD 4 OUT) COPSALE LAD (Swallow Partnership) Nicky Henderson 8-10-07 Marcus Foley
BD 4 OUT) GRAPHIC APPROACH (Mr & Mrs Peter Orton) Charles Egerton 7-10-12 Jimmy McCarthy
F 4 OUT) BIG ROB (Pat Betts) Brendan Powell 6-10-04 Joe Tizzard
BD 4 OUT) BALL O MALT (Declan Kinahan) Richard Fahey 9-10-01 Padgh Whelan
PU) SLEEP BAL (Peter Deal, Mrs M O Bryant) Nicky Henderson 6-11-05 Mick Fitzgerald
PU) CAPTAIN CORELLI (Patrick & Hester Bancroft) Mark Pitman 8-10-12 Timmy Murphy 8/1 Fav
PU) JOES EDGE (Chemipetro Limited) Ferdy Murphy 8-10-08 Brian Harding
19 ran Non-Runner: Kickham (Vet’s Certificate)
Breeder: Miss Cora & Derbhla Neary Breeding: b g King’s Ride - Cuilin Bui (IRE) (Kemal)
Dist: 4, 5, 1.75, 12, 1.75, 3, .5, 8, nk, 8, 14
Tote Win: £10.70 Places: £2.60; £2.70; £3.70; £5.30 Exacta: £92.90
Winning trainer: Bradstock, Mark Fitzherbert Born: November 5, 1957 Date of First Trainer’s Licence: 1988/89 - formerly five years as assitsant to Fulke Walwyn. Married to Sara Lawrence, daughter of Lord Oaksey Based: Old Manor Stables, Letcombe Bassett, Wantage, Oxon Cheltenham Festival Wins (1): Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase (2005 King Harald) Number of wins (2002/03-2003/04): 7; 9 Number of horses in training (2004): 22 Wins This Season: 5
Winning Jockey: Matthew Alexander Batchelor Born: May 23, 1976 Cheltenham Festival Wins (1): Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase (2005 King Harald) Wins 1996/1997-2003/04: 5; 9; 20; 20; 20; 17; 8; 10 Wins This Season: 10
INITIAL QUOTES - THE JEWSON NOVICES’ HANDICAP CHASE
UNBELIEVABLE BATCHELOR
Mattie Batchelor, the winning jockey having his first Festival winner, said: "That was great. King Harald was jumping from fence to fence today. We have been working with Yogi (Briesner) on his jumping.
"I stuck on him from pure fear - I might have got a bit of rollicking off Sara (trainer Mark Bradstock’s wife).
"He pecked and just ducked a little bit after the last and I lost my stirrup (right one) and I kicked the other one out. I knew he stayed well and so I thought I would let the others come to me and pick up again which he did.
"I am just awaiting for the alarm clock to go off and someone to tell me to ride out - I cannot believe it - a dream come true.
"He has a lot of ability - it is nice to ride a horse like that. I still cannot believe it - to come here to The Festival with even a little chance, for someone like me who rides winners at Plumpton and Folkestone.
"The dream has become reality - phenomenal."
HARALD IS KING
Trainer Mark Bradstock and jockey Mattie Batchelor teamed up for their first Festival success when landing a pillar-to-post victory with King Harald.
It was not all plain-sailing for the winner as Batchelor lost his irons when making a mistake at the last but the jockey did not get time to worry.
"He just pecked a bit on landing and then slightly jinked," said Batchelor. "One iron came out but I had no time to put it back in so kicked my other one out as well. You don’t get time to panic, you just get on with it.
"I knew Richard Johnson was coming back at me but mine is a really tough horse."
Bradstock, who will be driving the horsebox home before celebrating the success, said: "He stays, gallops and luckily today - except for at the last - he jumps. I didn’t see what happened at the last, but I knew he would gallop up the hill with or without reins, irons or whatever.
"This is very special, it’s what we go to bed early and wake up in the morning for. I expect we’ll be feeling pretty ill tomorrow."
King Harald’s connections received a £1,400 fine when the horse was declared then withdrawn from yesterday’s Royal & SunAlliance Chase.
Bradstock’s wife Sara added: "I was totally innocent, I explained them what I was doing, we had to declare him for yesterday’s race because there was a chance we might not get into this.
"We’re a small stable and this is what we’ve been planning all year, it’s wonderful that we’ve brought it off."
HONOURS GO TO LACDOUDAL
Justifiably, all the talk after the opening Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase surrounded the remarkable rodeo recovery of Mattie Batchelor at the last on the winner King Harald, but on a point of handicapping the honours went to runner-up Lacdoudal, who was conceding 20lb.
The Philip Hobbs team felt that they were beaten fair and square, but it was still a terrific effort from Lacdoudal, who is only small but has a heart twice the size of himself.
Hobbs said: "Lacdoudal is a superstar and so genuine. He came from France and acclimatised so quickly that he was able to win within a month of arriving - he is so tough and such a great jumper.
"He is also so consistent that he is always at the top of the handicap in these races, so we might have a look at the three-mile novice chase at Aintree. He’ll get the longer trip around there."
That race is also in the back of the mind for Seamus Mullins, who trains third-placed See You Sometime.
Mullins said: "You are always liable to come against a well-handicapped horse in these sort of races, and that was the case here.
"See You Sometime is so brave, and I just wish I had the guts and heart that he can boast. All options are open now and, while I have mentioned to Andrew (Thornton) the Scottish National, he is inclined to think we should stay on the novice road a little bit longer, so Aintree or the novice chase at Ayr would be the logical route to take."
