Cheltenham wrap: Stage Star kickstarts Nicholls treble

Top-weight Stage Star (11-4 Favourite) defied 12 stone to come home the ready winner of the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase over an extended two and a half miles.

A winner of the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury last season, the now seven year old was subsequently disappointing at Cheltenham and Aintree. However, his chasing career has started well and today was his third success in four outings over the larger obstacles. Making more or less all of the running today, the Fame And Glory gelding came just had to be out to come home three and three quarter lengths to the good over Datsalrightgino.

Winning trainer Paul Nicholls said: “He has shown what he is made of today. It has just taken him a little while to get right.

"He won the Challow last year and we thought he was good. He was very good at Warwick then it all went wrong at Newbury. I think that day several horses didn’t enjoy the ground and he hung. He had a nice confidence booster at Plumpton and he has done that very nicely.

"It is a big weight to carry around there and do that well. I’m thrilled with that. I thought he was nicely in off 142. He is only a novice and he has a bit of experience around here and it means we can come back here in March if we want to in one of the novice chases’. He was a Grade One winner last season and he is obviously a very nice horse, 142 was a very nice mark if he put it all together.

"That (the Cheltenham Festival) is a long way off. He would get three miles but it depends on the ground and opposition. He will be well worth running. He is only a novice once.

“I thought the ground was that bit softer how he likes it today and he is a novice and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go three miles at Newbury as I have something else for that anyway. There are not lots of options for horses like these. The top weight should be the best horse in the race if it all goes right and I think 142 was a fair mark. He is a Challow Hurdle winner and he should be a 150 horse in time. He will be a smart chaser. He is just getting his act together and we are learning how to train him. The day at Newbury he was beat the ground was very quick. He is much better on that ground.”

Harry Cobden, the successful rider, added: “It was a brilliant performance. He is not an easy horse to ride. He is always lugging left everywhere you go and everytime you pick up the reins it makes it worse but he is a graded horse in a handicap.

"The wheels fell off at the back of last season. We had a good start this season at Warwick then he hung quite badly at Newbury and when he had to come across to the cut over there he probably threw the race away but he got his confidence back at Plumpton last time.

"He was absolutely brilliant today. I’d be very surprised if we didn’t see him here in March. I think he could run over two and a half or three as he definitely stays. He is a brilliant jumper and he is definitely improving with age. He has got a little niggle where he hangs left but apart from that he is very straightforward.

"He is just a lovely horse and one that is progressing. Funnily enough I thought he would either come into the race and go win like that or not get around. I thought it would be one or the other. He just enjoyed that today and I had him in quite a nice rhythm and that is probably me learning to ride him a little bit. He was a bit long one but he has made his mind up at the top of the hill. I wouldn’t have wanted to come here with him straight to the Festival over two and a half miles (without running around here before). Now we know he can act around here you can ride him normally.”

Comfort Zone further highlighted Ireland’s dominance in the juvenile hurdle division when landing a telling blow in the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle.

Joseph O’Brien’s youngster made a successful raid to British shores when taking the Finale Juvenile Hurdle over Christmas and added a second successive Grade Two prize when downing Milton Harris’ Scriptwriter – who headed into the Cheltenham feature as one of the home team’s best Triumph Hurdle hopes.

Scriptwriter looked to be travelling beautifully as Paddy Brennan charted a typically wide course round Prestbury Park, but the 2-1 favourite Comfort Zone was smuggled into contention by Jonjo O’Neill Jr and having jumped the last level pulled out more on the run to the line to prevail by half a length.

The winner was cut to 10-1 from 14-1 by Betfair for the Triumph Hurdle at the Festival, while he is 7-1 from 8s for the Boodles Fred Winter.

O’Neill said: “Scriptwriter is probably the best gauge-stick in England anyway, so I was happy with the performance.

“Scriptwriter was a non-runner on the day at Chepstow, so I suppose that performance was a bit better – you’d never have known. But I think the track probably suited him and maybe riding him like that was a bit more sensible.”

Asked about plans, he replied: “Leave it to the trainer and connections, they know more than me and what else they have in the races and stuff.

“I think he definitely deserves his chance in whatever race. I wouldn’t mind riding him, anyway. His hurdling was grand, a couple he got in a little bit short but I had him right down the inside and wanted to settle him, so I couldn’t be looking for loads of light.

“The ground is quite dead and he might be better on better ground, but he handles soft at Chepstow, so I’d say he is pretty versatile.”

Of Scriptwriter, Milton Harris: “It is just frustrating. Look, they are good horses. We just didn’t get the rub of the green.

“It wasn’t the ground. He just got to the front miles too soon. He is a horse who has come from Ballydoyle, where he has been a lead horse for Derby horses and he has been taught to lead horses, get headed, and that’s him, so you have got to hit it late and he has just travelled too well into the race.

“I was not impressed with finishing second. He is a good horse and we’ll be back and take on the winner.

“He just got there too soon. Paddy is spitting feathers as he got there too soon and is blaming himself. We should have hit the front in the last 50 yards and he would have won – he knows that.”

He added: “We don’t want to be poor losers, but it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest taking on the winner again.

“We will come back to fight another day and take the winner on in March.”

The combination of trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Harry Cobden brought up a 19.6-1 double when Il Ridoto (9-2) took the Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase.

Paul Nicholls, the winning trainer, said: “I thought he had a big chance of winning here the last day (when fourth in the Paddy Power New Year's Day Handicap Chase) but he sort of ducked in left handed and fell through the last and that sort of cost him any chance really. I think few were doubting about whether he wanted a flat track and whether he truly stayed. I thought he was kidding us a little bit as he was coming out of his races so well and the cheekpieces have focused his mind today. He travelled and jumped brilliantly and had a great ride so it’s superb.

“When you’re fit and well you’re better off on the speed around here and I said to him to go out and ride him like he rode Stage Star. If it happens great and if it doesn’t so be it. I said if he didn’t win today we’d have to go for a flat track but I thought he’d gallop up the hill – he’s just been kidding us and today he did it nicely. I haven’t really got a plan for him to be honest, if he hadn’t have won I was going to go for a race at Newbury just before the Festival on a flat track but now he has I suppose we’ll come back here. I wouldn’t be afraid of possibly considering the Topham Chase for him, as I think two miles and five furlongs around Aintree would suit him nicely.”

Harry Cobden, the winning rider, added: “The cheekpieces made a big difference today and I just thought on his last two runs he was just holding something back and it didn’t feel like he was giving his all. He’s still only six and he’s still improving and the cheekpieces just got the best out of him today. When Gavin (Sheehan) came to me (on the runner-up Fugitif, 7-2 Favourite) we quickened right the way to the second last and right the way to the line – so he’s certainly improving.

“I don’t think being more forceful was the factor, I think it was the cheekpieces. When he ran here last time behind the Skelton horse Midnight River, I thought I had the measure of him and whether he ducked away from the crowd I don’t know but he didn’t want to go up the hill – and that day I thought he definitely saved something. The cheekpieces has just edged out that bit of improvement.

“We haven’t had much success at Cheltenham over the last four years but this year we’ve won a few bumpers, handicaps and chases around here and it’s nice to be competitive. We came here a couple of years ago at the Festival and none of them really ran very well and you go home and you scratch your head, but now you look back and you think the honest answer is we didn’t have fast enough horses to be competitive on the day. Now we’ve got some real quality coming through and it’s starting to tell.”

Back On The Lash (6-1) repeated his success of last season in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, finally run on Festival Trials Day after not being contested at the November Meeting because of a lack of rain.

Racing in the colours of part-owner and former football manager Harry Redknapp, saw off all challengers on the run-in to take the honours by three-quarters of a length.

Martin Keighley, the winning trainer, said: “He loves it here doesn’t he? If anything Sean (Bowen) got there too soon! It was a great ride. We were so gutted to lose the first two races around here this season, he ran a good solid race here at the November Meeting (when third in the Jewson Handicap Chase) and we’ve just kept him for this race since. It’s worked out well and we’ll keep him nice and fresh now and come back for The Festival. It will be level weights there but he seems to be improving for every run around here and hopefully he can still be in the mix.

“He just loves his jumping and he’s such a strong stayer, as he showed today. He’s tiny and you saw a couple of times today he lands quite steep as he’s so small, but he’s got loads of scope and he’s hard as nails. Coming into these Cross Country races just seems to have improved him, similar to Any Currency. He rocketed just because he took to the course so well and this horse has done the same.

"Delta Work ran a good race in third and we were getting just over a stone today, so he’s going to have to improve again in March. Today the ground was probably a bit too good for him so hopefully we’ll get faster ground and we’ll see how it goes.

“We love having winners here, all the locals love a local winner so it makes for a really good atmosphere. Harry (Redknapp, joint owner) is down in London today opening something, so he’s gutted he can’t be here!”

Philip Hobbs, trainer of runner-up Deise Aba, said: “He has run great and jumped beautifully.

"Unfortunately at the second last he was a bit slow and lost some momentum at it but he has run really well. It maybe cost him first place, but I’m not totally sure that it did.

"He hasn’t been around here instead we went to a cross country course near us which were allowed to go and get qualified. He was good down there. He had totally lost his way he just needed something to spark him up a bit. There is nothing wrong with him as he has always had plenty of ability. I think a change of scenery and the different obstacles have helped him.

"We might come back here for the Festival but that is off level weights and will be a different job.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of third-placed Delta Work, said: “I’m delighted with the run. He gave the winner and the second horse a lot of weight and we knew there would be plenty of improvement after today. He has only had one run over the banks around here so that is why we wanted to get more experience into him.

"I’m looking forward to coming back here off level weights. That will be his Gold Cup when he comes back here for the Festival. If you look there how he jumped the second last and last you can see he just needed that bit more experience of the track so that will do him no harm. He galloped all the way to the line so we are very happy.

“Mortal is a good fun horse and I’m very happy with him as well. He will come back here for The Festival as well.”

Delta Work's jockey Rob James added: “It was a big weight he was carrying and that was a good performance as he was giving a lot of weight away to the first and second. I’m delighted.

"I got a lovely position and he jumped well so I was happy the whole way. He just got a little bit tired going to the line. He will be back here at the Festival off level weights. That is where he will be at his best. He gave me a great spin.”

Charlie Longsdon, trainer of sixth home Snow Leopardess, said: “It was a massively promising first run over the fences. They always say they improve loads and she was upsides turning in. It is work in progress and she will improve a lot for it.

"I’m delighted with that and hopefully we will think about coming back here in the spring. I’d be happy to come back for the Cross Country Chase. That was a good starting point and she had only schooled around here once before because of the frost otherwise we would have gone again.

"There is plenty more to come and she showed she enjoyed it.”

Syd Hosie enjoyed the biggest success of his training career when__ Rock My Way__(13-2) took the honours by a length and a half in the Grade Two Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.

He said: “We have done it today and that was great, but how good is Nigel Twiston-Davies’ horse (Weveallbeencaught) that is what I want to know, and we will find out in Ireland next week.

"Speaking to Tom (Scudamore) there will probably step him up in trip. He wanted a bit more of a lead and he got to the front early enough and he had a look around. We could have done with a bit more of a pace there. We had Way Out in the race as well and at home he runs all over this horse every day. I might need to put a longer gallop on!

“The previous time I didn’t have a clue how he would get on as he came from the point-to-point field. This time I thought if we can get him in the top three I won’t look stupid for the entries we have made for the Ballymore and the Albert Bartlett and I’m glad about that. We will get him home and see where he is really.

“We have had a Cheltenham hunter chase winner and that to me was the pinnacle but this today this means a lot to me. It is nice to do it at Cheltenham on Trials Day. I used to come to Trials Day and be with my mates in the bottom bar and I always said to them when we start to win some money we might have a go at this and here we are.”

Dan Skelton, trainer of the runner-up Pembroke (5-4 Favourite), said: “That was a really good run. Look, I thought we’d win beforehand and I wasn’t afraid to say how much we thought of him, but on that ground the trip perhaps just exposed him a little. With a better jump at the last we’d perhaps been a bit closer but he’s run very creditably, his jumping can improve. We were going everywhere with him due to the weather and this just ended up being the one we came for in the end. I don’t know what to do with him in the spring yet, he’s got a little cut which is only superficial but we’ll wait and double check he’s ok before making firm plans.”

Michael Scudamore, trainer of the third-placed Mofasa (14-1), said: “That was a great run considering we gave away weight to the first two horses, so I’m really pleased. He ran so poorly at Newcastle last time that it’s just nice to put a line through that and Luca was pleased with him. He said he had a horrible run all the way through and thought he could and should have finished closer with a clearer run. I’m delighted to see him back though and he’s proven he’s good enough to compete at this level. Coming back here in March is a possibility, but we’ve got plenty of time to think about it. He’s a big boy for chasing next year and it wouldn’t be the worst idea to put him away for that either, so there’s lots of options and lots to talk about. If anybody had to beat us though I’m delighted it was Tom (Scudamore) – he can get the beers in later!”

The concluding SSS Super Alloys Handicap Hurdle saw champion trainer Paul Nicholls bring up a 102-1 treble on Festival Trials Day when Hacker Des Places (4-1) scored by a neck under Angus Cheleda.

Nicholls said: “I think the way he travels now and better race with a better pace will suit him. Angus might have learnt his lesson there as he was in front 10 minutes too soon really but he just kept galloping.

"He will have a five pound penalty for the Betfair Hurdle and Angus can take that off so I suspect that is where we will go. He has been entered up loads of time but it has been off everywhere we want to go. We felt if we are going to win a big one we need to get a race into him. He has got other options aside from the Betfair Hurdle as there is also the Morebattle at Kelso. I think he could be a Martin Pipe horse but you would also stick him in the County Hurdle as he has got loads of boot.

"I’ve left plenty to work on so I’m pleased with that. He is amazingly consistent. He has done really well and has improved enormously.”

Cheleda said: “I thought I got there a bit too soon really and then the race fell apart at two out, so I thought I’d kick off the bend and he’s galloped all the way up the hill. It’s my first winner at Cheltenham for the boss (Paul Nicholls) so it’s a special moment.”

The attendance at Cheltenham today came to 21,054 – the largest seen on Festival Trials Day since 2017.

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