Wincanton report: Gustavian lands the Beer money

Anthony Honeyball admitted he could see shades of the mighty Desert Orchid in Gustavian, who jumped his rivals into submission to make it third time lucky in the 64th Badger Beers Handicap Chase at Wincanton, Badger Beer Ladies Day and day two of The West Country Weekend.

In his previous two runs in the race the evergreen 10-year-old had finished seventh behind stablemate Blackjack Magic in 2023 before filling a remote third behind Al Dancer in the £80,000 Premier Handicap 12 months’ ago.

However, there was no stopping the gelded son of Mahler, who put in an assured round of jumping from the front under Rex Dingle to gain his first success in more than two and a half years to give Honeyball his second victory in the race.

Having established a handy lead through the early stages of the three miles one furlong contest the 11-2 chance, making his first start since undergoing a wind operation, continued to hold a sizeable advantage heading for home on the final circuit.

Although Scarface attempted to mount some sort of challenge over the final few fences he could not quite get within striking distance of Gustavian who, after meeting the last on a good stride, before bounding away to score by nine and a half lengths.

Honeyball said: “He was overdue it, this horse. He had his pants pulled down at Exeter when he ran another stormer. Sam (Twiston-Davies) was so livid, but we couldn’t resist having another one in that veterans’ race and Credo came through and beat him that day.

“He had a really good second in the fog at Aintree and he literally got nailed that day. He obviously does go on a bit of decent ground and it does help his jumping.

“I think physically early season he probably just used his back a bit more and felt good in his body as he used it a bit more.

“Watching him jump today you don’t see any horse jump that sort of trip bar Desert Orchid. He was awesome.

“I suppose the wind operation has been significant to some degree, but he has run well in this race before and maybe that is all he had to do the way the race was.

“He is a bit one paced and you are a bit limited on dropping in him really. It is easier to dictate everything under your own steam.

“He is a 10-year-old, but you would think he was a five-year-old as he wants to go and you never have to chivvy him along he just goes.

“He is a good horse to make the running with as he does travel out of the gate.

“It has become an important race, but we never thought about it like that until we won it, and then when we won it, we thought we would come back again and we will keep coming back for as many as we can.”

Paul Nicholls hailed Rubaud as a ‘class horse’ after staging a late rally to secure a record-equalling third victory in the BetMGM Elite Hurdle.

After winning the Grade Two prize for the past two seasons the Air Chief Marshal gelding completed the hat-trick under a determined Harry Cobden to join Sceau Royal as a three-time winner of the race.

Things looked to be going plain sailing out in front for the 1-8 favourite, who was setting his own fractions in his bid to add to his Listed success at Kempton Park last time out.

However, as the race began to get serious Rubuad was joined late in the day by the James Owen-trained Hamlet’s Night, who after jumping the second last found himself almost on level terms.

After jumping the last almost as one it looked like a shock was on the cards as Hamlet’s Night forged ahead, however in the closing strides Rubuad reeled back in that rival before getting up by a neck to give Nicholls his 10th success in the race, and hand him a treble on the day and Cobden a double.

Nicholls said: “He had a very hard race the other day at Kempton Park, and he knew he had a race the other day, and it took a while for him to get over it.

“I could tell in the paddock that he didn’t look great in his coat, and he has been a bit flat this week. We have had to do the best we could to get him right.

"When we went to Kempton Park, he had a lot of hard work and he was ready for his life. This week we have had to do things a bit different to freshen him up. He is a good horse that is tough and keeps galloping.

“Testament to him as what a class horse he is that he can come back from a very hard race and win today.”

As regards to future plans Nicholls hinted that a switch back to fences for a tilt at the Grade Two Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton Park in January could be a potential target for Rubuad.

He said: “We know he is not going to win a Christmas Hurdle, so I don’t want to waste a run. He has won two good races now and if he doesn’t run until after Christmas I don’t mind.

“He is the sort that could run well in the Silviniaco Conti Chase over two and a half miles as he won the Pendil there last season.

“There are no more Grade Two races like this until the Kingwell Hurdle back here or the International Hurdle at Cheltenham, but the ground is too soft for him there. The Kingwell will be a possibility.”

Paul Nicholls admitted he was ‘delighted’ to see Blueking D’Oroux open his account over fences and hand him a record extending 12th success in the Boodles Rising Stars Novices’ Chase at Wincanton today, Badger Beer Ladies Day and day two of the West Country Weekend.

Having suffered an odds-on defeat on his first start over fences at Newton Abbot last month, the gelded son of Jeu St Eloi made sure there was no mistake this time when finishing powerfully to land the Grade Two contest.

Although the Grade Two winning hurdler eventually got the job, it wasn’t with the odd scare with Harry Cobden having to sit tight on the odd occasion at various points in the two and a half mile test.

Swinging for home, anyone of three had legitimate claims of victory, however that was soon whittled down to two on the run to the last with early leader Rightsotom backing out of the equation.

Needing a good jump at the last to secure victory Evens Favourite produced exactly that in the hands of Cobden before pulling out more than enough close to the line to defeat Breaking Cover by a length and hand Nicholls his second winner on the day.

Nicholls said: “He obviously stays well, but we always thought he perhaps didn’t want three miles, but I think three miles might just help his jumping a little bit in time. It was a good effort today and he got there when he needed to.

“He is just a bit careful. He is not like a big, bold, scopey horse that takes them on. He is always backing off a bit which makes it hard work for you, but he has stuck his head down and galloped all the way to the line. He was brilliant at the last, but he needed that.

“The second horse is no mug as we have been up against him this summer with Centara. His jumping just cost him at Newton Abbot a little bit. It is all experience, and this is what novice chases are about getting experience for the future. I’m delighted with him.”

As for future targets Nicholls insisted he will look through the programme book to come up with a plan. 

He added: “Windsor might be a bit tight for him, and he doesn’t want it too soft as he went there last year and hated it. He can’t be silly handicapped over fences if you take his two runs over fences.

“Handicapping on his chase form will be less than his hurdles form so you never know that could be an option. If he hadn’t done that today he would have probably gone back over hurdles. I’ve got no set plan at the moment.”

Owner John Romans believed the late Kim Gingell was ‘looking down’ from the skies above after Sweet Caryline made it a hat-trick of wins for the season when collecting the biggest pot of her career in the BetMGM Paul & Richard Barber Memorial Mares’ Handicap Hurdle.

Despite being four pounds out of the weights the Joe Tizzard-trained daughter of Blue Bresil, named in memory of his late sister who died following a short battle with cancer in May 2020, added to wins at Newton Abbot and Chepstow in the £40,000 contest.

After travelling strongly into contention entering the home straight the 11-2 chance soon had company in the shape of 5-4 favourite Jubilee Alpha, who was moving equally as well as the field moved down to the second last.

However, the extended two miles and five furlongs prize changed complexion over the penultimate flight as Jubilee Alpha dived at the hurdle to hand Sweet Caryline, who measured the obstacle well, a crucial advantage.

Although Jubilee Alpha attempted to muster another effort up the run-in it was not enough with Sweet Caryline holding on to victory by a length.

Romans said: “When we had winners Kim and myself used to sing Sweet Caroline and then we had the Welsh Grand National winner with Elegant Escape and we all jumped on the chairs and Kim got us going with Sweet Caroline.

“Then we got this horse up at Doncaster as a store. He was unnamed and I said I was going to name this horse after Kim and she has proven to be a very good horse. I’m sure Kim is looking down on us. It is lovely.”

And for triumphant trainer Tizzard he was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Tizzard said: “It was a big step up in grade. I know Paul’s horse made a mistake at two out, but the rest of them were cooked. We are well pleased with that.

“We were always going to be positive as we only had ten stone two pounds on her back and she was race fit.

“She surprised me a bit today, but it was a nice surprise. We were thinking of getting her qualified for the Boudicca series which are all 0-110 races, but that is now out of the question.

“She was going to go to Carlisle for one of those races and she would have been a certainty there. This has opened up loads of windows.”

Ben Case raised the prospect of next year’s Summer Plate at Market Rasen being a long term target for Nickelforce, who ended a string of near misses with victory in the Read Meg Nicholls’ Blog At betmgm.co.uk Handicap Chase.

Arriving on the back of two runner-up efforts the six-year-old finally went one better to end a losing streak stretching back more than a year when putting in an assured round of jumping to collect the two and a half mile prize.

Moving on past early leader Bourbali, and runner-up Tapley, between the final two fences the 6-1 chance flew the last before bounding away up the short run-in to score by three and a quarter lengths.

Case said: “You can’t fault him. It is not like he has been shirking the issue, but he has just been coming up against well-handicapped horses and stuff like that. One of his owners, Denise Massey, is very poorly and this win is for her.

“We thought the race, and the track here, would suit him. I was half wondering if we should have gone to Sandown Park tomorrow as that race cut up, but it is good prize money here.

“He deserved that, and he will now probably go and have a winter holiday now as he has to have good ground and he has been busy all summer.

“I’ve always thought there could be a good handicap in him. One of my owners, who is away on holiday, wants to go to Galway with him, but he would need to go up a few pounds for that.

“If he could get into the Summer Plate at Market Rasen that sort of race would suit him and that would be a good target for him."

Fasol got the ball rolling for Nicholls earlier on the card when vindicating his decision to give him a last-minute entry in the opening Download The BetMGM App Novices’ Hurdle.

Having saddled Sorceleur to glory in the race 12 months ago the Ditcheat handler repeated the trick after the six-year-old led home stablemate Miss Altea Blue to give Nicholls a one-two

Racing just behind the pace, which for much of the extended one mile seven furlong prize was cut out by Miss Altea Blue, the 4-6 favourite moved on past her stablemate after the last before passing the post with two lengths to spare.

And the victory was also a significant one for the winning rider, and daughter of the triumphant trainer, Olive Nicholls, who saw her claim reduced from seven to five pounds with the success being the 20th of her career under rules.

Nicholls said: “It was about time he got his head in front and it was a last-minute decision to enter him as I thought if the ground was too quick to run the filly then I needed something in it was a good race.

“Fredie Keighley was due to ride him, but I thought let’s see if a girl gets on with him as he gets on well with the girls at home.

“Miss Altea Blue is going for a race at Newbury in three weeks’ time and I thought she would need the run a little bit, but I thought she might still beat him as he is hard to win with.

“I don’t like running two against each other, but this ground is not making things easy to plan. We will just have a bit of fun with him and Olive can keep taking five pounds off him.”