Ben Linfoot reflects on Saturday's action as Kandoo Kid won the Coral Gold Cup while Sir Gino stole the show at Newcastle.
In an era of Irish domination it all felt a bit 2010 again on Saturday.
Paul Nicholls winning the Hennessy, sorry Coral Gold Cup, it is actually 2024, with a second-season chaser, Nicky Henderson training his binoculars on Newbury’s big screen to watch a thrilling performance from his latest wannabe Champion Hurdler, maybe, Sir Gino, in the BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle up at Newcastle.
Willie Mullins and Henry De Bromhead’s runners were spanked, Nicholls punching the air like he’d scored the winner at Wembley, an understated raised eyebrow and a relieved exhale of breath from Henderson.
Both trainers have been there and done it all, but in a sport now dominated by Mullins the big wins must taste even sweeter these days, at this stage of their careers.
Nicholls’ name will forever be woven into the tapestry of the Coral Gold Cup. He won it twice as a jockey with Broadheath and Playschool, four times as a trainer thanks to Strong Flow, the mighty Denman, twice, and now Kandoo Kid.
His first Coral Gold Cup since Denman’s second in 2009 is a surprising lean spell over in a race he loves and he played a blinder with the training of Kandoo Kid, winning this on his first start for 232 days, a first since wind surgery too.
He had the Newbury experience – his form figures at the track now read 2-1-2-1 – his victory over Frero Banbou at this meeting last year now looking the shiniest piece of form on the day given that rival bounced back with a win in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle.
One thing he didn’t have was a proven piece of form at the trip, or even three miles. But that’s where the improvement came from as he bounded to a comfortable length-and-three-quarter verdict over the gallant runner-up, Broadway Boy.
If stamina was a question mark before the race, it wasn’t afterwards, and Nicholls thinks he’ll stay even further with the Grand National now his next big target, a race for which he is 33/1 everywhere you look.
He’ll be rated in the low 150s after this, so he’ll comfortably get in, and he’s got experience of the Aintree fences after a good third in last season’s Topham Chase. You’d have to give him a chance.
Meanwhile, Sir Gino.
It’s often said that the second season over hurdles can be tough for a four-year-old. Out of juvenile company, in against their mature elders, the learning curve can be a steep one and plenty of that age group can struggle.
Perhaps that was one reason, taking the turbulent times of Constitution Hill out of the equation for a second, why Henderson’s Plan A for him was a season learning his trade over fences.
But after watching him cruise to victory in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle, you have to ask yourself why on earth this particular four-year-old was ever going novice chasing?
This was hugely impressive and while the form can be crabbed – Mystical Power didn’t run his race, the 143-rated Lump Sum was eight lengths away in second – Sir Gino has an engine and it looks to be purring along nicely.
Of course, nothing is straightforward in the world of Nicky Henderson, his post-race thoughts a mumble of different scenarios that still include the possibility of novice chasing this season, dependent on the well-being of a certain stablemate.
Sir Gino was a joy to watch, though, as he became just the second four-year-old since 1985 to win the Fighting Fifth.
Earlier that year Henderson was winning the Champion Hurdle with a five-year-old, See You Then, who was the last horse of that vintage to win the Champion Hurdle until Katchit in 2008. Only Espoir d’Allen has won the Champion Hurdle (2019) for the five-year-olds since then.
It takes something special for a horse so young to win such a gruelling race. It’s between 3/1 and 5/1, depending on your turf accountant, that Sir Gino ends up becoming the next five-year-old to carve his name into the Champion Hurdle history books.
If you knew that was Plan A then the 5/1 would be tempting after witnessing what he did at Newcastle on Saturday afternoon. This was two-mile hurdling out of the top drawer, from a youngster now five from five in his burgeoning career.
But we don’t. And then there’s the Irish.
More from Sporting Life
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
