Fourteen weeks after giving birth to a daughter, Rebecca Curtis scored her first Festival success since 2015 when the 50/1 chance Lisnagar Oscar stormed home in the G1 Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle on Thursday, writes Jim Beavis.
Ridden by Adam Wedge, for whom it was a first Festival win, seven-year-old Lisnagar Oscar beat 20/1 shot Ronald Pump by two lengths, with 33/1 Bacardys in third. It was Curtis' fifth win at The Festival in total.
Pembrokeshire trainer Curtis said: “He ran a blinder on his last run and I am not sure whatever happened to him at the beginning of the season. We did find a few ulcers and things, so we treated him for that and he was so well at home. I thought 50/1 was a massive price.
“Adam is what I call such a solid, solid jockey. I am delighted for him to get his first Festival winner. He has given the horse a brilliant ride.
“I’m absolutely delighted. I thought he had a big chance today; I didn’t think he would beat [2019 winner] Paisley Park, but I thought he’d get placed. To see him improve that much - I’m just delighted. I was thinking, ‘don’t get caught, don’t get caught.’ He took a nice pull all the way and I thought they went a good gallop.
“it’s a time when I need it; I’m trying to rebuild the yard. I’ve had four winners here before, but it’s been five years, so it’s just great to win another one,” added Curtis, who is based at Newport.
Lisnagar Oscar's compatriot, Debra Hamer’s Tobefair, ran respectably to finish sixth.
In the Champion Hurdle, Silver Streak finished closer to the winner in finishing sixth this year than when he was third in 2019. He was 12 lengths behind Epatante in what was an underwhelming renewal of the race. Hopefully Evan Williams can find a Grade 2 for him in the next month or two.
In the Arkle that day, Williams’s Grade 1 winner Esprit Du Large fell at the penultimate fence. He was already beaten and dropping back.
Clemencia, a recent acquisition for one of Tim Vaughan’s owners, ran a personal best to finish fifth of 22, beaten five lengths, at 66/1 in Wednesday’s Fred Winter, the handicap hurdle for four-year-olds. Sadly, stablemate Copper Gone West sustained a fatal leg injury when running well in Thursday’s Pertemps.
Evan Williams had started Festival week in good nick. Ballybreen trotted up in a three-mile hurdle at Taunton on Monday, ridden by his daughter Isabel. He jumped right throughout and all of his four victories have come going that way round.
At Ffos Las last week, Williams saddled four of the 11 runners in the 2m novice hurdle and it was his Timassini (8/1), ridden by Isabel, who came out on top. Earlier on the card, Miss Zip completed her third consecutive win for Williams and Wedge in the 2m3f novice chase. She was very fortunate, because John Flint’s Arian had the race sewn up only to come down at the final fence.
In the 3m chase, Flint’s Lac Sacre came in a distant third, and in doing so took his record at Ffos Las to 1143424246324113. He’s 11 now, but the trainer could squeeze another win out of him there when his handicap mark comes down a bit more.
Away from the glare of Cheltenham, Ben Jones and Jack Tudor rode winners this week at Huntingdon, and Tudor had another at Doncaster.
Welsh interest in Saturday’s Midlands National at Uttoxeter over four and a quarter miles lies principally with Curtis’ former Scottish National winner Joe Farrell. He ran a blinder to finish third at Chepstow in October and followed that with a creditable seventh in the Ladbroke Trophy.
Stablemate Financial Outcome has bottom weight and youth on his side, but his stamina is untested. Evan Williams’s Prime Venture is always there or thereabouts, but is 0-11 over fences.
Chepstow hold a fixture on Thursday, March 19.
