Nuts Well surprises Kelso rivals with Premier Chase success
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
Nuts Well continued Ann and Ian Hamilton’s amazing season with a popular victory in the bet365 Premier Chase at Kelso.
The Northumberland-based husband and wife team have sent just six individual horses to the races this season, but between them they have now managed 12 victories.
The undoubted star of the string is Tommy’s Oscar, who in less than a fortnight’s time will bid for Champion Hurdle glory at the Cheltenham Festival.
Nuts Well is a high-class horse in his own right, however, as advertised by his Grade Two victory in the 2020 Old Roan Chase at Aintree.
Running over three miles for only the second time, having been pulled up in the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster on his first attempt, the 11-year-old was an 18-1 shot to claim a fourth Kelso win.
Given a patient ride by Brian Hughes, who was standing in for the sidelined Danny McMenamin, Nuts Well moved smoothly into contention and took over from 5-4 favourite Espoir De Romay in the straight.
Rank outsider Hill Sixteen threatened to make a real race of it on the approach to the final fence, but the Hamiltons’ veteran dug deep on the run to the line to prevail by a length.
“I quietly thought he had a right chance if he stayed three miles,” said Ian Hamilton.
“He ran at Doncaster and we’ve had to tend to one or two bits since then as he has back troubles.
“Brian is just magic, isn’t he? He said he was going to sit at the back and let them go and just creep into it – well he just cruised there, didn’t he?
“His half-brother Runswick Royal won this race (in 2015) and we might go back to Aintree with him now.”
On Tommy’s Oscar’s chances in the Champion Hurdle, he added: “That’s a bit of different craic!
“He hasn’t beaten a Champion Hurdle horse yet. He’s been winning very easily, but he’s not run against one of those.
“You wouldn’t know what will happen – that’s what we’re going for.”
Nells Son digs deep
Nells Son got the better of the previously unbeaten North Lodge in a thrilling climax to the bet365 Premier Novices’ Hurdle at Kelso.
A winner on his hurdling debut at the Borders circuit in October, the Nicky Richards-trained Nells Son had since finished second at Ayr and fourth behind the top-class Jonbon at Haydock.
The seven-year-old was a widely unconsidered 16-1 shot for this £50,000 Grade Two, but he displayed a willing attitude in the hands of Irish jockey Sean O’Keeffe to pip Alan King’s Cheltenham Trials Day winner North Lodge by a short head.
Richmond Lake, runner-up to Jonbon at Haydock, appeared to be faltering when suffering a heavy fall at the final flight and bringing down Donny Boy. Both horses eventually got to their feet.
Richards said of the winner: “He’s a grand horse and we’ve just sort of built him up.
“How he got beat Ayr, I’m not sure – I’d say it was just the trip that beat him.
“We dropped him back at Haydock where we rode him to run a good race as I went there thinking ‘are you as good as I thought you were, or am I getting it wrong?’ I thought he ran a grand race.
“He’s fairly ground dependent – he needs a bit of soft ground, this horse.
“There’s the Scottish Champion Hurdle (at Ayr) the week before Aintree this year, so I’ll see what the weather is doing up in Scotland.”
Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, Richards is excited to see what Nells Son can achieve over fences next term.
“I said to Sean when I first had a word with him, ‘you’ll be seeing this horse at Leopardstown next Christmas’,” the Greystoke handler added.
“He’ll be going chasing next year and I’d say he’ll make a wonderful chaser.”
Richards went on to complete a quick-fire double with 15-8 favourite Famous Bridge in the bet365 Handicap Hurdle.
The Fame And Glory gelding unseated Brian Hughes two flights from home when odds-on to score at Kelso a month ago, but made no mistake on this occasion under the champion jockey elect.
Richards said: “He’s a lovely horse. It looked like he was very much coming to get involved here last time. It’s hard way to learn a lesson, but he probably did learn from it.
“We’ve done a good bit of schooling with him since and I think he was a lot more professional today, even though he’s still raw.
“There’s a couple of handicaps at Aintree. I know the great man (late owner Trevor Hemmings) isn’t here, but it’s still nice to do what he would have liked to do.”
Cuban Cigar may have earned himself a place on Lucinda Russell’s Cheltenham Festival team with victory in the bet365 Juvenile Hurdle.
Twice a runner-up over obstacles for Richard Hannon, the four-year-old finished well-beaten on his first start for his new connections in the Victor Ludorum at Haydock a fortnight ago.
But dropping in class in the hands of Derek Fox, the 100-30 chance knuckled down from the final flight to get the better of 6-4 favourite Genuflex by a length and a half.
Russell said: “He’s a cracking little horse who is very straightforward and has been very well trained by Mr Hannon.
“We were really aiming at the Go North Final at Musselburgh at the end of the month, but the trainer would now quite like him to go to Cheltenham.
“We’ll see what Gerry (McGladery, part-owner) wants to do, but he is in the Triumph Hurdle.”
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