McCoy impressed as Iroko cruises to victory on chasing debut

It takes a special horse to impress now retired 20-time champion jump jockey Sir Anthony McCoy, but Iroko achieved exactly that when receiving plenty of praise from the legendary rider after making a winning debut over fences at Warwick on Tuesday.

After rising through the ranks to win the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival before finishing third on his Grade One debut in the Winners Wear Cavani Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree plenty was expected of the five-year-old on his chasing bow.

And the Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero-trained Cokoriko gelding did not disappoint with a near flawless round of jumping in the feature Stan Mellor Memorial Novices’ Chase under an ultra-confident Jonjo O’Neill.

Jumping smartly throughout the two and a half mile test the 11-10 favourite breezed up onto the shoulders of chief market rival Golden Son, who was bidding to give trainer Paul Nicholls back-to-back wins in the race after claiming it last year with Stage Star, on the run to the second last.

Barely needing to get out of second gear Iroko moved past Golden Son with the minimum of fuss before securing victory by a comfortable three and a quarter lengths.

McCoy said: “He was good and sure footed. It was a good place to start off as it takes a bit of jumping around here. It looked a decent enough novice chase as Paul Nicholls horse (Golden Son) had some decent form so you would have to be impressed and like what you saw.

“He did win a Martin Pipe last season and you would be hoping he could develop into a smart chaser.

“It is all very well looking like a chaser but there are lots that look like chasers that don’t make it, but he looked like a chaser the way that he jumped. Hopefully he has bright future with a bit of luck.

“It is a good test around here as the fences come up very quick around the back. He hasn’t got loads of experience, as in racing experience, but hopefully he will keep improving.

“He was a bit slow to come to hand. He is a fine big horse and I’d say he just improved with time. If you look at him he is a fine big stamp of a horse.

“The first season we had him he just took time and to be fair one thing his owner (JP McManus) is very good at is being patient with them and it looks like it has paid off.

“He looks exciting, and he looks like he has enough pace to travel away and hopefully he has plenty of stamina too.

“You want horses to win nice novice chases like that and if you don’t have dreams you have nothing.”

Equally delighted by the performance was triumphant joint-trainer Greenall who believes Iroko has the potential to be ‘something serious’.

Greenall said: “He was pretty much foot perfect, bar a couple of small mistakes. He loved the ground and we thought he would like three miles more, but he has travelled like a dream there over two and a half miles. We will probably stick to two and a half for the time being.

“He just missed the ditch half way down the back, but apart from that Jonjo said he was brilliant.

“There is always a bit of pressure when you have a horse like him. He has been schooling so well at home and you hope he could be something serious.”

Following the race Iroko was trimmed from 25-1 into 14-1 by Sky Bet for the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival while the same firm went 10-1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the same meeting.

As for more immediate targets Greenall hinted that he could step Iroko up to three miles for a tilt at the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.

Greenall added: “At Aintree he looked like he wanted a trip, but maybe he had a hard enough race at Cheltenham and he just ran a bit flat at Aintree. Maybe that wasn’t his true reading.

“Whether you go for a smaller race then go up a level or go straight up a level next we will just have to see.

“On a tighter track like Kempton on better ground you could go three miles, but we will see how we go. The Kauto Star could be considered.

“If it is soft ground at Cheltenham he would probably stay at two and a half miles and if it was quick he would go over three miles.”

When Gary Moore pitched Salver to owner Keith Graves little did he think he would be celebrating a first victory in his own silks so soon. However, that dream turned into reality just two weeks’ after purchasing the new apple of his eye at Warwick on Tuesday. 

While the three-year-old, who was purchased for 25,000 euros, has a way to go match the exploits of his dual Grade One-winning half-brother Saldier the gelded son of Motivator looked a useful recruit to the jumping ranks following his victory in the Trustatrader trustatrader.com Juvenile Maiden Hurdle. 

Despite getting the last wrong in the two mile prize the 9-1 chance showed a smart turn off foot once straightened up by Jamie Moore to defeat fellow hurdles debutant Excelero by two- and three-quarter lengths. 

Graves said: “He was going a bit all over the place at the last but that was his first start over hurdles. I’ve only had him two weeks and that is fantastic. 

“Gary Moore was the one who suggested to buy him. He said he fancies him so I decided to have a go. 

“Gary said it would be a learning curve for him today, but that he would be up there or thereabouts, and he was right. Jamie rode it exactly as he said he was going to do. 

“This is my only horse I own outright but I’ve got shares with Heart Of The South Racing. Hopefully, he can go as high as possible.”

Ben Pauling enjoyed a change of fortune following a number of near misses in recent days after Personal Ambition made his debut under rules a triumphant one in the opening division of the Trustatrader Apply Today Novices’ Hurdle. 

After finishing third on his sole point-to-point start the four-year-old gelding hit the ground running on his first start since joining the Naunton handler when flooring 4-7 favourite Jingko Blue by three and a half lengths. 

Pauling said: “I liked him when I saw him in Ireland. He needed a wind operation so we gave him one when he came over in the summer. He does what he needs to do at home. He is not flash in the mornings but he has got a big engine. We will not get too excited too quickly. 

“The horse that won his point-to-point they paid a lot of money for. The amount of times I’ve rattled the cross bar over the last two weeks has been frustrating, but I’m delighted to see this one go in.”

Nicky Henderson might have been out of luck with Jingko Blue, but there was to be no odds-on reversal for stablemate Kintail, who was described by connections as a ‘work in progress’ after toughing it out to land the second division of the two miles and three furlongs event.

The Seven Barrows handler already has one smart son of Blue Bresil on his hands in shape of reigning Champion Hurdle hero Constitution Hill and Kintail could develop into another after adding to his bumper win at the track in May when outbattling Clondaw Royale by a length and a half.

Henderson said of the 4-6 winner: “Nico (de Boinville) has just said he is a work in progress and we are getting there with him. He is a lovely big baby. Like all those Blue Bresil’s he has a laid back attitude to life.

“Something like that he would have learned a lot from. He is still looking around at everything that was going on, bar what was important. He will want to go do that again. Experience is what he wants.

“All the two miles three-furlong race does is jump one hurdle in the back straight and then you are on the two-mile start. That was barely a two-mile race to me. 

“They were going slowly over the first and to me it was like a two-mile race, but they didn’t go a two-mile pace. I think the ground is quite hard work out there. 

“I wouldn’t take away anything from Kintail. He just needs to learn a bit. The form of his bumper has worked out well as we had the third in the race (Ideal Des Bordes) and I think quite a lot of him as well.”

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