The form book will record that Victoria Pendleton pulled up her mount before the second-last fence at this course near Marlborough, just as she had done in her first point-to-point race in Devon a week earlier, but the former Olympic cyclist took a significant step forward here. Having dawdled around at the back for most of her debut, she was in the heat of the action this time for so long as her horse, According To Sarah, could maintain her effort.
Though the pair made a slow start, Pendleton acted quickly to take the more prominent position that she had discussed in advance with the seven-year-old’s trainer, Alan Hill. After the field had jumped four fences the commentator was surprised to note that According To Sarah, a 20-1 shot, had moved up into a share of the lead.
Four fences down the back slowed her progress due to an occasional lack of fluency. But she was to the fore for almost two complete circuits here, whereas Pendleton had had a view of the entire field for most of the race when partnering Minella Theatre seven days before.
According To Sarah was visibly tiring when going through the top of the third-last and Pendleton’s decision to pull up at that point was one that any responsible jockey would have taken. This was the mare’s first run for three months, she will be fitter for it and will have a better chance in other races over the coming months, quite possibly with Pendleton aboard.
“I feel like I did a better job this week than I did last week, trying to stay in contention in the race for as long as possible,” Pendleton said. “Last week I was in my own little bubble, having a private schooling lesson almost.
“My goal was to try and be a little bit more aware of my surroundings and competitors and try and get involved a bit more. Last week was all about just me popping over the fences in a race scenario. It wasn’t about what was going on around me. It was very much just thinking about what it feels like, what it looks like, judging the distance, because you don’t ever jump that many fences in a training session. It’s all so new.”
There is no doubt that Pendleton is gaining with experience, looking rather more at home in the saddle here than in any of her races on the Flat this summer. “After last week we schooled the horses on Monday and the fences looked a foot smaller in my mind,” she said.
The 35-year-old earned a positive review from one of her mentors, Yogi Breisner, whose skills as a coach of horses and jockeys are much in demand. “She looked the part, I thought, the whole way through,” he said. “Her horse made a couple of little errors when it got tired and she sat well.”
A spokesman for Betfair, who are backing Pendleton’s “switching saddles” project, reports she may be in action for a third consecutive Sunday when the pointing circus moves on next weekend to Larkhill, a few miles south of here. The long-term aim is still for her to participate at the Cheltenham Festival in March and Breisner believes she is progressing quickly enough for that to be realistic.
Even so, her chance is probably not quite the equal of Djakadam’s, who stated his case for the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Sunday when a 12-lengths winner of the John Durkan Memorial at Punchestown, an impressive effort even if one takes the view that this renewal lacked strength in depth. The runner-up in last season’s Gold Cup, Djakadam is now 8-1 from 12s to seize the prize this time.
He was one of three winners on the card for his trainer, Willie Mullins, who somehow turned out Pont Alexandre in sufficiently good shape to score on his chasing debut after an absence through injury of 998 days. He is now 12-1 third-favourite for Cheltenham’s RSA Chase.
Al Ferof came home 40 lengths clear in Huntingdon’s Peterborough Chase after the last-fence fall of Ptit Zig, who appeared held at the time. The winner, having his first run for Dan Skelton, will return to the King George on Boxing Day, in which he has been third for the last two years.
