Cheltenham Christmas Meeting day one review: Dysart dynamite

Dysart dynamite at Cheltenham

Fergal O’Brien is yet to train a winner at the Cheltenham Festival however he hopes Dysart Enos could be the horse to change that after describing the talented mare as ‘very special’ following her latest success over hurdles at Cheltenham on Friday.

Arriving on the back of four straight victories the five-year-old mare backed up her debut success over the smaller obstacles at Huntingdon last month when proving a class above her rivals in the British EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.

Always travelling well in behind early leader Spirits Bay the well supported 5-6 favourite forged into a clear lead of the two-mile one furlong contest on the run down to the final flight.

Measuring the last well, Dysart Enos, who claimed Grade Two honours in the Goffs UK Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race at Aintree last season, kept on finding plenty up the run in to defeat recent Ascot scorer Beat The Bat by two and three quarter lengths.

O’Brien said: “You say the race at Huntingdon was an egg and spoon race but Mary (who was third that day) has been placed in a Listed race at Newbury. She did everything she had to do that day at Huntingdon. It was lovely to come here, but I was questioning it yesterday as everyone was saying why are you going to Cheltenham.

“The reason I wanted to bring her to Cheltenham was that she is quite hot, and I didn’t want to bring her here in March having had an easy passage through just picking and choosing our races. I wanted her to see Cheltenham. If she got beat today, of course I would have been disappointed, but it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. I wanted her to come here and see Cheltenham and get some of the atmosphere. With these mares it is about training their minds as well as their bodies. Today she has just taken it so well. She is just so special to us.

“We looked at the Listed race at Newbury, and we thought it was a nice pot and everything, but this is a lovely pot here and it gives her the experience, and it is down the road, and it fitted in right. It was the right decision.”

Following the race Dysart Enos was trimmed into 4-1 for the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at The Festival in March by both Paddy Power and William Hill, which O’Brien hinted she would only likely have one more race before hand.

He added: “She would only have one more race, if that. At this stage (she is the best I’ve potentially trained), but she needs to keep training. She is very special as we have never had anything so quick. She is very special. That’s what we are hoping for (to get her to win at the Cheltenham Festival) and it is a case of keeping our fingers crossed.”

Destiny calling for Ginny's

Paul Nicholls will take a familiar route with Ginny’s Destiny who enhanced his reputation over fences with a game display in the Cheltenham & South West Racing Club Novices’ Chase.

After opening his account on his second start since joining the Ditcheat handler from Tom Lacey at the track 26 days ago the Gordon and Su Hall owned gelding added to that success to earn a potential return to Grade Two company next month.

Racing up with the pace throughout the extended two and a half mile test the 5-2 chance was not for relenting under Harry Cobden with the pair passing the post three quarters of a length clear from 2/1 favourite Grey Dawning.

An outing at Warwick on January 13th in the Hampton Novices’ Chase, which Nicholls has won with Gungadu (2007), Rocky Creek (2013), Next Destination (2021) and Threeunderthrufive (2022), appears next on the agenda for Ginny’s Destiny

Nicholls said: “He puts them to the sword, and he keeps galloping. He had improved a lot at home, and he worked brilliantly the other morning.

“Claudia (Reid), who rides him and Pic D’Orhy at home, said to me he is not far behind Pic D’Orhy the way he is improving so she might be right.

“He is a very nice horse that is just getting the hang of things. I didn’t have him last season and he was nowhere near ready first time, but we needed to get him going.

“He has improved so much at home, physically and mentally, and he knows where he is at now. He gallops out with his ears pricked and he pulls up with his ears pricked. He has got plenty in the tank. He will be better over three miles as well.

“I might look at the £75,000 race at Warwick on January 13th (Hampton Novices’ Chase) as I think three miles around Warwick would be perfect for him. He is a good horse. Ground wise, the softer it is the better for him.”

Dante too good for Murphy

Go Dante secured triumphant owner Barbara Hester the perfect birthday present when carrying her silks to a first ever Cheltenham success with a tenacious success in the Catesby Estates Handicap Hurdle.

Having endured several agonising defeats at the home of jump racing, including the final flight fall of Brewin’upastorm in the 2022 Grade Two Relkeel Hurdle the passionate owner saw her luck change thanks to the talented, but fragile, Olly Murphy-trained seven-year-old.

Sent off the 7/2 favourite to build on his sixth placed finish on his return to action in the Unibet Greatwood Hurdle at the track last month the Kayf Tara gelding did not let his supporters down when fighting off a host of challengers after the last before scoring by a length and a quarter.

Hester said: “It is absolutely unbelievable. I’m so pleased for the horse. He has been a very good horse, but he has just had a bit of bad luck. Olly has finally got him right with Sean and I think there is more to come. I’m really excited about him.

“He ran a very good race in the Greatwood, and we thought he was fit and ready to go. Sean (Bowen) came in and said he wants ground softer than that, but don’t step him up in trip as he will come on for the run.

“That is exactly what he has done today as he has backed up that run. I’m absolutely over the moon. He is a very brave horse. It is also my birthday today as well today which is great.”

An outing in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury in February could now be a target for Go Dante in the second half of the season according to Murphy.

He said: “This has been a long time coming. I’m not surprised. He is one of those horses that every time he runs I go racing thinking that he will win.

“He has obviously won his races, but just not at a level I would have liked him to. He has had a lot of issues. He has broken his pelvis, and he had a schooling incident last season.

“Barbara has been very patient and believed in my process with him. It has been small steps with him, but it has finally come together now.

“I considered going to Ascot just before Christmas with him, but we decided to come here. I’m delighted we came here and won, but there is part of me that thinks I wish I had waited to go to Ascot for a bigger prize, but it is Barbara’s first Cheltenham winner and that is brilliant.

“Something like a Betfair Hurdle is what we could look at. He has loads of ability and that was great.”

Cromwell strikes again

Gavin Cromwell has been ever present in the Cheltenham winner’s enclosure this season and the Grade One winning handler found himself back in the number one spot at what is fast becoming a happy hunting ground following a first success for La Malmason.

Without a win in her first three starts over fences the daughter of Walk In The Park addressed that statistic in the Cheltenham Racecourse Food Bank Collection Mares’ Handicap Chase, which the 11/4 chance claimed by three quarters of a length.

Cromwell said: “She is a lovely mare and she jumped well enough. I think she is progressive. She didn’t pick up as good as I thought she would, but listen she has won. She unseated Keith (Donoghue) one day. When she is good, she is very good, but she has been making novicey mistakes. The last day at Down Royal the last three fences were taken out and the winner (Found A Fifty) was very good as she went on to be second in a Grade One.

“It is nice to see her find her feet and hopefully she can go on from here. I think the race at Down Royal was a falsely run race. Aside from the winner the form hasn’t stacked up as Colonel Mustard has been well beaten since and the fourth horse (Lucky Max) has been beaten out of sight.

“The day at Limerick when she unseated she was travelling very similar to what she did today. I suppose she will be off a mark where she would warrant her place in some of those nice mares’ novice chase races. We will see what the handicapper does and take it from there.”

Cheekpieces work treat with Cepage

Venetia Williams praised the patience shown by connections of Cepage who responded well to cheekpieces to secure a first victory in almost three years in the Unibet Middle Distance Chase Series Veterans’ Handicap Chase.

Restricted to just one start in each of the two previous seasons the admirable 11 year old showed he still has plenty of life in him after winning the second race in the extended two and a half mile series which was created by Unibet as part of a five year deal with The Jockey Club earlier this year.

Demonstrating a clear appetite for the stiff uphill finish at the track the 11/2 chance , whose last victory came at Chepstow in January 2021, powered past Le Ligerien, winner of the first race of this season’s series at Kempton Park, late on before clearing away to prevail by seven lengths from Lord Du Mesnil.

Williams said: “He is still rattling around here at a rate of knots. All credit to owners for giving him the time come back from various injuries. It has taken me this long to put the cheekpieces on him, but I was keen to reserve them for a decent race. He is a quirky horse. Jess, who is leading him up, and is my assistant, rides him all the time. Even at the age he is now, which is 11 going on 12, he has to be legged up in the barn otherwise he might bolt. He is still daft as a brush.

“It is fantastic this series. The three-mile series has been a success, and it is lovely to see Cheltenham stepping in with this. The original plan a month ago had been to bring his partner in crime Ibleo here, but circumstances over the weekend flip flopped as to who was going to run here.

“There isn’t another one of these races until the middle of next month so he might come back here New Year’s Day. They went a good gallop there in that race and it was nice to see him finish as he did. He has only one once here before at the January meeting before the (Covid) pandemic then he ran well in those pandemic Festivals.”

Skelton strikes in Cross Country

Latenightpass (7/2 Favourite) showed the benefit of his debut second over Cheltenham’s unique Cross Country course last month when he went one better in today’s Glenfarclas Crystal Cup Cross Country Handicap Chase.

Already a winner over the Grand National fences at Aintree having taken the 2022 Randox Foxhunters’ Chase, the nine year old was always in a prominent position in the extended three miles and five furlongs contest and pulled clear on the run in to score by four lengths from Francky Du Berlais.

A return to Aintree now beckons for Latenightpass – this time for the Randox Grand National itself.

Winning trainer Dan Skelton said: “I thought coming away from last time that he acquitted himself very well, but to be fair I don’t really know the horse that well.

“Tom (Ellis) trains him, and throughout all this Bridget (Skelton) has done all the work on him. It has just been my name on the licence. He has been a massive addition to the team. Not all of them take to it, but he did. We jumped (around here) in between races and he loved it. That gave me reason to think that he should at least back his run up. I don’t know much about the ground for him, but perhaps it suited him being a little softer.

“I think (coming here in between races) is vital because confidence is vital in this race. They have to switch off and know what they are doing and then switch off to get the trip. In my opinion that is how you win that race. He dragged her to the front, but she knows him so well. She sat on him until the last, and that is someone who knows their horse well and he scooted away then.

“I’d say it is blindingly obvious (to have a go at the Grand National). I wouldn’t say he was superior there as you have the likes of Galvin and Minella Indo who you meet off level weights at The Festival. I think it is very acceptable to come there for The Festival to run against them without the expectation that you are going to beat them off level weights. I think Silver Birch run in the cross-country race before winning the Grand National. I’m not saying we should be favourite for the Grand National, but I think he more than deserves his chance.

“He has got experience (over the Aintree fences), he stays the trip well. When you come out of hunter chases you don’t know if you belong in a higher grade. I think he has probably now suggested twice that is the truth.”

Winning rider Gina Andrews told ITV Racing: “He is just an unbelievable little horse. He gave me one of the best days of my career and he has given me another one today.

“That is his forte – he travels really strong which makes my life a lot easier as he knows what I want, when I want. He took to the fences so well.

“He is the horse of a lifetime for us. He was bred by my mother in law and trained by Tom (Andrews’ husband) in point to points. He went to Dan’s two weeks’ before he ran last time and my sister (Bridget) deserves all the credit as she has done all the work with him.

“You have to consider the last time he ran it was his first run of the season and his first run over these fences ever. He took to it so well and you thought he must improve for another run. I’m delighted.”

Back in fourth under top-weight of 12st was the 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Minella Indo, who pleased his rider Rachael Blackmore on his first start over the course.

Blackmore said: “With the schooling he had done at home, we were hoping he would put in a jumping performance like that. He had to carry lot of weight around there so I thought it was a really good run. He took to those fences very well and he was a very enjoyable ride around them.

“He was definitely competitive from the second last, but it is a long way up the hill. I’ve often thought at that stage of the race before you are in with a shout and then you are not. It is after the last it can all change, but he ran a super race.

“Henry and the Maloneys (owners) will decide all that (if he comes to The Festival for the cross country), but I very much enjoyed riding him.”

Rhino storms to success

The racing Gods were looking down favourably on Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero after White Rhino resumed his remarkable rise through the ranks in the Citipost Handicap Hurdle to move a step closer to an outing at the Cheltenham Festival.

Less than an hour after stable star Gesskille suffered a fatal injury in the Glenfarclas Crystal Cup Cross Country Handicap Chase the progressive seven-year-old made it five wins from his last seven starts when appearing to appreciate the step up to three miles for the first time.

Hitting the front after the last the 3/1 favourite got the better of an entertaining late battle with Bold Endeavour, who was one of two runners in the race for Nicky Henderson alongside Captain Morgs, by two and a quarter lengths.

Guerriero said: “You would swap it around and not have a winner and have Gesskille back, but that is the way it is. Gesskille was a stable star and he literally put us on the map. He has been amazing. To lose him is so sad, but that is racing unfortunately.

“White Rhino has been brilliant for these owners. He has been a star this horse. He just keeps getting better and better and it is great for a lovely bunch of local owners.

“He was so backward, and the size of him meant he was so weak. When he was running in those novice hurdles he could barely get around.

“We gave him a break, and he came back stronger, and then he was in handicaps, and he got his confidence in low grade handicaps. His confidence and strength have gone together.

“It is impossible to know (if he has reached his ceiling). We thought he might be near it, but he just keeps winning.

“We might try and get him qualified for the Pertemps Final and maybe come back here for the Festival. He is so progressive, and you need that type of horse for that race.

“We’ve not had one as progressive as he has been, and they don’t come around that often.”

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