Golden Ace wins Champion Hurdle after rivals suffer calamity

One of the most dramatic editions of the Unibet Champion Hurdle ended with Golden Ace springing a 25-1 shock for Jeremy Scott and Lorcan Williams at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

The £450,000 feature had been billed as a clash between the unbeaten Constitution Hill, who was attempting to regain the title, and the mare Brighterdaysahead, who had carried all before her this season.

However, Constitution Hill crashed out four from home when stalking the leaders travelling strongly, and Brighterdaysahead was unable to pick up in the straight after heading her pacemaker, King Of Kingsfield.

Instead, it was State Man, the defending champ, who had the race at his mercy as he surged clear heading to the final flight.

But he then himself suffered a heavy fall, to the despair of Willie Mullins and Paul Townend, who were seeking their third success of the day.

Thankfully, Constitution Hill, the heavily-backed 1-2 favourite, and State Man both walked away fine from their respective tumbles.

The calamitous episodes suffered by the past two winners of the race left the door open for Golden Ace, herself hampered by the fall of Constitution Hill, to take the spoils by nine lengths under an exultant  Williams from 66-1 chance Burdett Road.

Winter Fog, returned at 150-1, claimed third with the Trifecta paying £4,432.90 to a £1 stake. Brighterdaysahead and King Of Kingsfield filled the final two positions.

Scott and connections of the winner had only declared her for the race at the last minute on Sunday, when they observed that Lossiemouth had been switched from the Champion Hurdle to the Mares' Hurdle.

Similarly, the runner-up was bound for the County Hurdle at one stage.

Scott, based in Somerset, was striking for the minnows after a challenging season. Golden Ace had given him his first Festival success in the mares' novice hurdle 12 months earlier.

 "I couldn't even dream that would happen," Scott said. "I've just asked someone to thump me because I must be dreaming, it is just bizarre.

"It's a tragedy those horses came down and it spoilt the race entirely, we looked booked for second if not third but then State Man came down so it is marred by that, but the gods have favoured us.

"My owner was not at loggerheads (with me) because he pays the bills, but he was very keen to have a runner in the Champion Hurdle and we thought we could nick a bit of prize-money and we didn't think we could beat Lossiemouth (in the Mares' Hurdle) - it's extraordinary how things work out.

"She is unbeaten here so she obviously likes the track. It's interesting Willie tends not to run his mares much before Christmas so maybe that might be the way to go next year.

"Winning the Champion Hurdle is brilliant for the whole team, it's amazing."

He added: "I haven't taken in it yet and I hope the other two are OK, it was such an odd race.

"This race wasn't my initial thought, but it's a horse race and anything can happen."

A proud Gosden said of the decision to run in the Champion rather than the Mares' Hurdle: "He who dares, wins, Rodney!

"You've got to be in it to win it, haven't you? I watched every race Lossiemouth has ever had and she has never come off the bridle against a mare, the only time she has was against Constitution Hill.

"So I just thought we may as well go for it.

"Jeremy and his whole team do a superb job and this mare is something special.

"This, winning a Champion Hurdle, is beyond my dreams. Last year I was quite happy, winning at the Festival for the first time and now I've done this. I'll have to come back next year now, won't I!

"I think she might go up a bit in the weights!"

Williams could not believe he had just won the Champion Hurdle. He said: "Literally, I cannot believe it. She wasn't travelling as well as I wanted in the latter part of the race; all I was thinking was that we could do with a bit further, then I thought 'we're staying on well for second' and things started to happen.

"I hope they're all right (fallers) - they're iconic horses - but we were there to pick up the pieces. I'm absolutely thrilled for the Jeremy Scott team; it's a massive team effort to come here and I'm lost for words as to what a pleasure it is to get it done.

"Fair play to the owner - we were pushing for the Mares' Hurdle massively, but I got his point of view from the sense that we could go for the mares' next year because she'd be a little bit older and would see the trip out.

"I promise you, I did not know what to expect and nothing compares to how I am feeling now. I hope this day will never end. I'm shell-shocked - every time I have come here and got a winner, it's been a dream come true for me."

Nicky Henderson, the trainer of Constitution Hill, and Mullins have trained 178 Festival winners between them and it's unlikely the pair have ever seen anything quite like this.

They will have left the racecourse reflecting on what might have been, especially the latter, who had seen the diverted Lossiemouth breeze home in the Mares' Hurdle 40 minutes earlier. What would have happened had she turned up here, instead?

The winning time was about 4 seconds slower than Kopek Des Bordes had achieved earlier in the day in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

When asked how he could sum up what had happened, Henderson said: “You think of the first word that comes into your head and it would probably be the same as mine. I don’t know, what can you say?

“He seems fine, he’s very bright and breezy. He hasn’t had a race, obviously, and we’ll just have to think of a plan.

“We thought we had him right, he’s been in terrific form, but there you go – it happens. Poor old State Man as well, you couldn’t believe those two silly old fools have gone and done what they’ve done today.”

Henderson has won the Champion Hurdle more than anyone, with nine previous victories, and knows there is no margin for error in the jumping department when the heat is on.

He added: “When you’re jumping as fast as they jump, you’ve got to get it deadly accurate. You’d like to see the replay of it, but it doesn’t really matter what he did. I can’t take it out of his vocabulary, they will do these silly things.

“Somebody said the hurdle swung back into him. He was having a lovely time and he’s run two miles even if he didn’t have Nico on his back and he’s come back in here very fresh.

“It’s tough, but we have to live with it. We know what we’re playing with and that’s the game – you have to take these things. It’s just typical it’s on a day like this.

“So now what do we do? I know what we’ll do, surely there’ll be a rather fun day in Punchestown now.”

After giving his pride and joy a consolatory carrot, Buckley said: “It’s a crock of s***, that’s what it is. I’m sorry, I sound like Donald Trump, but I can’t think of a better way to describe it.

“It is pretty painful to be honest. It makes you want to cry, but I’m trying not to.”

State Man’s trainer Willie Mullins was magnanimous in defeat, after scenes reminiscent of Annie Power in the 2015 Mares’ Hurdle.

He said: “He’s a little bit sore and got a bang on the head I think when he was getting up, but he cantered away and trotted up sound, so we’re happy enough with him. The vets have examined him and they’ve said he’s fine to travel home this evening – that’s good news.

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s racing and that’s what makes winning over here so hard, you never know when something like that is going to happen.

“You’ve really got to choose the right horse for any race here and you make plenty of plans, but you couldn’t have imagined that – two Champion Hurdle winners falling.

“The only thing stranger would have been if Lossiemouth was in there, she would probably have been brought down! You never know what’s going to happen and that’s why bookmakers drive bigger cars than us.”

Gordon Elliott was left struggling to explain the performance of Brighterdaysahead, who passed the post a tired fourth.

“To be honest with you she was well beaten even with nearly getting brought down at the last,” said the Cullentra House handler.

“Jack (Kennedy) said when he asked her she never picked up at all and she normally picks up. Jack said she whinnied crossing the line, so that would be a worry and we’ll have to get her checked out and see how she is. She was very distressed.

“You couldn’t say they went too fast, but we’ll get her checked out and see how she is.

“I’m not sure you could say it’s a Cheltenham thing, as she just didn’t finish her race. Last year she finished her race, but today she was walking going to the last and she didn’t run her race.”