A schooling session aboard Coneygree had Sean Bowen wreathed in smiles as he contemplates a first ride in the King George VI Chase next week. Victory in the midwinter championship would, on the face of it, seem wildly improbable for a serial victim of injury who will turn 12 in a fortnight’s time, but the former Gold Cup winner has at least had a trouble-free preparation after being beset by problems in previous years.
“He schooled brilliant,” said Bowen, who had his first public ride on Coneygree when the horse was a promising third under a big weight in a Cheltenham handicap last month. “A lot of people doubted the Bradstocks, they were asking, ‘Should he still be going on?’ But they know him better than anyone and if they didn’t feel he was right, they wouldn’t have run him. They’re still very happy with him. I don’t know why everyone was doubting them.”
The Bradstocks are Mark and Sara, a husband and wife training team based at Letcombe Bassett in Berkshire, where they prepared Coneygree to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2015. But a bloodless win against two rivals in November that year remains his most recent success and last season alone involved more setbacks than some horses have in their whole lives; he suffered an over-reach in the Charlie Hall, revealed a wind problem in the Hennessy and rounded off his winter with a stress fracture in February.
But his Cheltenham effort, when he was in need of a run and carried a stone more than the pair who beat him, has all concerned hoping he can once more show up well at the highest level. “He gave me a great feel,” Bowen added. “He was very enthusiastic, jumped brilliant and then got a bit tired after two-out. He’s bound to come on for that, it was his first proper run in probably two years.
“I’ve never ridden a Gold Cup winner before and it was great to get the ride. He’s probably the best horse I’ve ridden, so it’s very exciting. He showed at Cheltenham that he has all his old enthusiasm and he still jumps as well as ever. I think they’ve had a completely clear run since then.”
Coneygree’s owner, Lady Oaksey, was, as ever, running the Injured Jockeys Fund stall during racing here and pulled a scared face when told of Bowen’s upbeat assessment of her horse. “He usually goes wrong at some point in December,” she muttered. “Fingers crossed …”
Southwell 11.50 Country’N’Western 12.20 Limerick Lord 12.50 Jennies Gem 1.20 Favori Royal
1.50 Lads Order 2.20 Dream Serenade
2.50 Archimedes 3.20 First Excel
Hexham 12.30 Well Above Par 1.00 Highland Hunter 1.30 Kelka 2.00 Misfits 2.30 McGinty’s Dream
3.00 Sporting Press
Exeter 12.40 Evidence De Thaix 1.10 Trans Express 1.40 The Kings Writ (nap) 2.10 Dalila De Seuil 2.40 Big Time Frank 3.10 Nearly Perfect 3.40 Mauna Kea
Chelmsford 5.30 Khazix 6.00 Tajawoz 6.30 Red Skye Delight 7.00 Star Catcher 7.30 Zafaranah (nb) 8.00 Aircraft Carrier 8.30 Wotadoll 9.00 Slipalongtrevaskis
