Cheltenham report: Cromwell pair and Lookaway steal show

Gavin Cromwell appears to have inherited an exciting individual in Encanto Bruno who bounced back to winning ways in impressive fashion to make his stable debut a successful one in the Trustatrader Novices’ Hurdle on day one of The Showcase at Cheltenham.

The son of Mahler hit the ground running for his new yard when readily outpointing his rivals in the two-and-a-half-mile contest to provide both Cromwell and winning jockey Keith Donoghue with their second success of the afternoon, bringing up a near 5-1 double.

Having pulled up on his final start for John McConnell at Galway back in August the five-year-old gelding, who finished 11th in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival in March, left that effort well and truly behind in the manner of a horse with plenty more to offer.

Just as his stablemate My Mate Mozzie did 35 minutes earlier the 11-4 Favourite moved effortlessly into contention as the field approached the final flight where he was one of a handful of runners still holding every chance.

However, Encanto Bruno quickly put the race to bed when sent on by Donoghue before claiming victory by two lengths to add make it two wins in as many seasons at the Showcase Meeting after taking a National Hunt Flat contest at the meeting 12 months ago.

Cromwell said: “He was keen quite early, and he jumped a few of them quite big, but he travelled very strongly, and he won very well.

“Although he goes quite well at home I’d say he is a far better racehorse than he is a workhorse, which is always the way you like to have it. I’m delighted with that, and it was a good performance.

“He is a pretty straightforward horse and I’m delighted to have him. It was one of those runs (when he pulled up the last day) that you leave behind you as there was something amiss and I wouldn’t read into that.

“He is versatile, as he has won over two and a half miles today, and although he doesn’t show much pace at home he could certainly come back to two miles as he was quite keen at home.

“He is a lovely horse to look forward to. I think he will be a lovely horse when he jumps a fence to.

“We will go away and have a think about it and have chat with the owners and Keith (Donoghue) and weighing it all up (as to what we do next).

“I don’t think he would like deep Irish winter ground so he would be more for the spring.”

“We will have to look at a better race next and when life gets harder that’s when we will see how good he is.”

My Mate Mozzie might have let his supporters down when fluffing his lines on his debut over fences but read the script to perfection when appearing a class above his three rivals in the squareintheair.com Novices’ Chase.

Having been turned over by a 50-1 chance on his chasing debut at Fairyhouse earlier this month the Gavin Cromwell-trained Grade Three-winning hurdler made amends with an effortless looking success in the two-mile contest under Keith Donoghue.

Sitting in third for much the race the 4-7 Favourite, despite jumping out to his right on the odd occasion, breezed into contention on the run down to the final fence to throw down his challenge.

Delivered between Al Zaraqaan and long-time leader Jetronic after jumping the last the odds-on market leader barely needed to come out of second gear to move clear of both rivals before passing the post with three lengths in hand.

Cromwell said: “It was good. He jumped out a little bit to his right, and he made a couple of little novicey mistakes, but I’m happy with the result anyway.

“He arrives into all of his races travelling very well, and he has got beaten odds on in running trading very short on a few occasions, but thankfully he didn’t today.

“On ratings he should have won at Fairyhouse no matter what way you rode him, but I think he really needs to be ridden to arrive late on and he probably only just barely sees out the two miles.”

Assessing future plans Cromwell did not rule out bringing the Born To Sea gelding back to Cheltenham next month for the Grade Two SSS Super Alloys Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase on November 17th should the ground be suitable.

Cromwell added: “He could possibly come back here for the Arkle Trial next month, but it will all be ground permitting. I don’t think you would run him on too softer ground. We will give him a little break in the middle of the season then bring him back in the spring.

“Leopardstown at Christmas is probably the only time we will get nice ground, but the timing of it is not great. We are just happy with that result today and we will go back and have a look at things.

“He will have to get another bit of experience along the way somewhere and step forward plenty from that to be competitive at the Cheltenham Festival, but we wouldn’t rule it out.

“It does take some doing around here so winning today is a tick in the right box.”

Jockey Jack Quinlan was not shy at hiding his emotions after securing his first victory at Cheltenham with a fine front running success aboard Lookaway who returned something close to his very best in the feature Grade Two Sky Bet Novices’ Hurdle.

Entering the race with a record of zero wins from 46 previous mounts at the track the Grade One-winning rider finally laid that ghost to rest aboard the Neil King-trained six-year-old in the two-mile contest.

Having looked a potential superstar when running out the winner of a Grade Two bumper at Aintree in April 2022, the gelded son of Ask failed to fire in three starts last season before running out the facile of winner of two novice events at Uttoxeter at the start of the current campaign.

Sent straight into the lead by Quinlan the 9-2 chance was there to be taken aim at by his rivals. However as the race wore on Lookaway continued to look strongest of them all out in front having been settled into a good rhythm by Quinlan.

Jumping the last in front Lookaway continued to find plenty for pressure out in front under Quinlan before defeating Kamsinas by two and three and quarter lengths much to the delight of an animated Quinlan.

Quinlan said: “I’d say it has taken me eleven or twelve years to win here. To finally tick that off was a real thrill and I really enjoyed that one.

“We can look back in hindsight and be pleased how lucky we were last season. He wasn’t in good form all season, but he should have been good enough to nick a bad novice hurdle around a bad track, but he didn’t.

“He won two novice races after the cut-off point so he remains a novice all this season with that experience.

“At the time we found it frustrating, but we can look back and think how lucky we are to have him as a novice for this season.

“I’ve not ridden many Grade One horses, but he has given me as good a feeling that I have ridden. He will handle the step up to two and a half miles when it comes, however we will enjoy today.

“I was in front all the way and I winged the last and I thought surely I can’t get caught, but I was in a similar position aboard Kalashnikov in the Supreme at The Festival and I got nailed.

“I was praying for that line to come as it seems a long way away so that build-up of emotion when you get to the line explodes up out of you.”

Not only was the victory a welcome one for Quinlan but it also gave triumphant trainer King a much-needed boost after enduring a season to forget during the 2022/23 campaign.

King said: “We were under a severe cloud last season when he wasn’t winning his races and the moment we came back into form he won his races last and here we are again. That is the real him.

“He has got a wonderful owner (Peter Beadles), who is very patient and just lets me get on with it, but unfortunately he can’t be here today, however he will have enjoyed that.

“There was only one result that was going to be good enough today. The plan was to make it a test for them today. He jumps and he gallops and he has speed. He has everything so why get in behind trouble.

“I’ve been dreaming of big things from him from day one. He has got an entry in the Greatwood Hurdle here next month, but we will have to look and see about that.

“He was a very well-handicapped horse coming into this race and it was a tough decision whether to go into a handicap or stay the novice route, but I just felt against we should for time being stay against novices.

“I think he can get up to Grade One level. I’m absolutely over the moon as he has got the most wonderful owner attached to him.

“I don’t want to sound boring but this is what we do it for. After the season we had last season you can’t believe to begin what this means to me.”

Tears of both joy and sadness trickled down the face of part owner Ed Hoddell who insisted there is a ‘racing God’ after Mole Court secured a highly emotional success when completing a four-timer with a tenacious victory in the Close Brothers Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase.

The Ben Pauling-trained six-year-old received the biggest cheer of the day on walk back into the famous winner’s enclosure when digging deepest of them all under Jack Andrews in the three miles and one furlong prize to add to his brace of wins at Worcester and last time out victory at Stratford-upon-Avon.

Racing beyond an extended two miles and six furlongs for the first time, the 9-1 chance found plenty of stamina in reserve late on to deny Midnight Our Fred by half-a-length with stablemate Wick Green a further length back in third much to the delight of Hoddell, whose wife Tina is battling an illness.

Hoddell, who is based in Hartpury, said; “There is a racing God and he has smiled down on us today. That is all I can say. All our friends are over there. I’m so happy and so sad at the same time.

“It is incredibly emotional, and I’d like to say a huge thanks to Ben and all the team up at Naunton Downs as they are an amazing team up there. It is just wonderful.

“We did a little bit of work up there. Ben and Sophie through the whole process of building the yard have been incredible.

“They are great people to work for and great people to have a horse with. They are just wonderful people. I didn’t have time to think about the race.

“There are four of us involved in the horse my father-in-law Michael, Oliver and Lizzie (Troup) and myself. We called him Mole Court as he was the initials of the people. It is just wonderful.”

Equally emotional was the Naunton handler who hopes the victory would give the Hoddell family ‘every bit of joy they deserve’.

Pauling said: “Ed basically single handedly with his whole team built my new yard and halfway through the build his wife Tina fell ill and very sadly she is not very well at all. We don’t know how long (she has left) but hopefully this will have given her everything.

“She is the most incredible person. Tina, we do love you lots. It is quite hard to talk about but this horse means a lot to everyone. This means so much. We all love winners here, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this.

“Tina and the Hoddells are the most amazing family and I hope this gives them every bit of joy they deserve.”

Nigel Twiston-Davies was quick to describe Idalko Bihoue as ‘very exciting’ after the five-year-old got off the mark over fences with a near flawless round of jumping in the 2023 Thoroughbred Census Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.

After losing the services of Grade Two-winning hurdler I Like To Move It on his chasing debut at Uttoxeter, a day which the Naunton handler claimed was the ‘worst racing day of his life’, the Grand National-winning trainer was in a more jubilant mood following the victory of the Balko gelding.

Having finished third in the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury in December the Anne-Marie and Jamie Shepperd-owned runner then failed to complete two of his final three starts last season before unseating Sam Twiston-Davies on his chasing debut at Warwick 22 days ago.

However, there were no jumping issues on this occasion with the 5-1 chance showing exactly what he is capable of when putting in a clear round in the two and a half miles prize.

Racing just off the pace throughout the race Idalko Bihoue moved into a lead he would not surrender rounding the home turn for the final time before bounding away to score by seven lengths.

Twiston-Davies said: “That was absolutely lovely, and we thought he would do that the first time at Warwick, but he was too keen. He was very sensible around here and he is a really nice horse.

“It all went wrong in the second half of last season, but he is back now and hopefully he can have a good run now.

“No (there was nothing I could put my finger on why he lost his form). He was a young horse growing up and it was just all too much. He is a great big thing, and he will get better.

“Quite definitely I thought he would be better over fences. He is very exciting. We can’t go in a big handicap yet as he needs another run.

“There are very few ordinary novice chase races now so he will probably have to have another novice handicap run then we would have a think.

“This is lovely. I think that was the worst racing day of my life (losing I Like To Move It) and this all helps put it back together again.

“The owners have been very good supporters and they sponsor the yard. It very much makes this victory important.”

Freddie Gordon enjoyed an 18th birthday to remember after securing his first Cheltenham success, when steering Our Champ to glory in the Foundation Developments Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle. The winner is trained by Gordon’s father Chris.

Having run out a clear-cut winner on his stable debut for the Winchester handler at Plumpton 33 days ago the five year old gelding backed up that success when taking another step forward in the extended two mile curtain raiser at the Home of Jump Racing.

Striking the front before the penultimate flight the well backed 9-2 joint-favourite met the last on a good stride before bounding away on the climb to the line to defeat Swinton Hurdle winner Black Poppy by seven and a half lengths.

Freddie Gordon said: “This is what dreams are made of coming here on my 18th birthday. My dad has let me have a spin, more for like a day out, and then he has gone and done that which is amazing.

“My old man said jump out and try and make it, but if someone else is going to then get a lead. They went a lovely gallop for him, and that is all he does is stay.

“He got around the final bend and I held onto him a bit more then we jumped the last and he picked up lovely for me. I think he has surprised us all really.”

As for the triumphant trainer he hinted that the Grade Two Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton Park in February, which he has previously won with Highway One O Two in 2020 and Aucunrisque in 2022, could be a target for the former Paul Henderson-trained gelding.

Chris Gordon added: “That was the boy’s 18th today so I got it right for once. That is his 18th birthday present. He came to us and went to Plumpton and won nicely there and I thought before the handicapper gets hold of him lets come here for the owners and he has done it really well.

“He is only a five-year-old and he is still a novice so I might look at some of those novice graded races as the season goes on as he is a very experience jumper. We might have a look at the Dovecote at Kempton Park.

“To be quite honest I came here pretty confident for me as I’m always pessimistic. I rode him myself the other day in a bit of work against a very good horse in Aucunrisque and they worked extremely well.

“He has just got a good attitude and he is a really sharp two-miler. The stronger the gallop the better for him, but there are loads of options for him.”

Joint-owner Richard Lloyd saw his longtime dream of celebrating a winner at Cheltenham finally become reality after Pinnacle Peak (28-1) landed concluding the Abu Dhabi Digital Markets Handicap Hurdle.

Appearing the appreciate the drop back to two and a half miles the Martin Keighley-trained eight-year-old, who Lloyd owns half of with Mark Boothright, galloped on resolutely to score by four and three-quarter lengths from top-weight Angels Breath.

Lloyd, who lives near Guiting Power, said: “It is my first Cheltenham winner and I’ve been dreaming of it for a long time and it happened today, although it was unexpected. I thought he would be good for a place and that he was massively overpriced.

“It was shock when he crossed the line but now I’m going to celebrate. I love the sport and I love horses. This is massive. I had a few shillings on him at 50-1 this morning. That will pay for dinner tonight at No 131 in Cheltenham.”

As for the winning trainer he hopes that Pinnacle Peak can continue to progress to be as good as his dual cross country chase winner Back On The Lash.

The Luckley handler said: “He was probably a bit too keen at Warwick last time over three miles one (furlong) and he got outstayed so we dropped him back in trip today.

“Adam (Wedge, jockey) said he travelled superb and jumped so well. He has won quite easily in the end. He should have never been that price and I said to the owners that he is way better than his price.

“He is a half-brother to Back On The Lash and hopefully he can build on this today.”