It was a case of mission complete in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle as Good Time Jonny stormed to Cheltenham Festival success.
The money had been coming for the eight-year-old building up to the meeting and he was sent off at 9-1 as the tapes went up. Given a brave steer by Liam McKenna up the inner, Good Time Jonny was out the back as the field headed for home. But his young rider held his nerve to pounce late and deliver his mount with precision, returning a three-and-a-quarter-length winning verdict.
It was a fitting reappearance in the Festival winner’s enclosure for Martin, who has proved synonymous with handicap success in the past and was securing his seventh success at the four-day showpiece.
Jeremy Scott felt the decision of the Cheltenham stewards to demote Dashel Drasher to third from second in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle had “pricked his bubble a bit”. Sent off at 40-1, only the French challenger Henri Le Farceur went off a bigger price but Dashel Drasher massively outran market expectations and looked to have everything beaten when jumping the last flight in front.
He drifted slightly to his left on jumping it, and also caused marginal interference after the hurdle to Gordon Elliott’s Teahupoo, the 9-4 favourite. Only a nose separated them at the line, with Sire Du Berlais a three-quarters of a length winner, but the stewards felt there was enough interference to reverse the order of the second and third.
Follow all the Day 3 reaction from Cheltenham below, ahead of our Day 4 coverage:
