The best and the worst of racing over jumps was on stark display, as Coole Cody bounced back from a crashing fall two from home here last month to win the Racing Post Gold Cup. His brave, compelling victory was marred, however, by a fatal injury to the eight-year-old Dostal Phil, who was pulled up in the early stages by Aidan Coleman after an apparent dislocation of his right hind leg.
Few horses attack Cheltenham’s chase course with as much relish as the frontrunning Coole Cody, who was still narrowly ahead of the eventual winner, Midnight Shadow, when he came down in the Paddy Power Gold Cup three weeks ago. Adam Wedge soon had Coole Cody in his favoured position at the head of the field, and Midnight Shadow too was again close at hand as they turned for home.
Carlisle
12.00 The Big Jetaway 12.30 Rollerruler 1.05 Gold Cup Bailly 1.40 Papa Tango Charly (nap) 2.10 Bass Rock 2.40 Lough Derg Farmer 3.10 All The Glory
Southwell
12.15 Mozzaro 12.45 Dreamsundermyfeet 1.20 Abuffalosoldier 1.55 Horizon D’Ainay 2.25 Peltwell 2.55 Sayadam 3.25 Foillan (nb)
This time around, however, there was a 5lb shift in the weights in Coole Cody’s favour, and having dismissed the final two fences as readily as he had the previous 15, the 12-1 chance stayed on strongly up the hill to beat the fast-finishing Zanza by two lengths, with Ryan Mania on Midnight Shadow a short head away in third.
“With a lot of horses, you’re always nervous after a fall, but when this horse falls on the floor he thinks it’s a bit of fun,” Evan Williams, Coole Cody’s trainer, said. “He’s a very angry character who would go to war every day if he could.
“He’s just one of those rare breed of horses that’s very tough and very genuine and faces the music every time he comes to a big gig. It’s hard to put into words how tough a horse he is.”
Guard Your Dreams gave Nigel Twiston-Davies his fifth victory in the Grade Two International Hurdle, battling all the way to the line to hold off last year’s winner, Song For Someone.
Blazing Khal was cut to 5-1 (from 8-1) by Betfair for the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham next March after overcoming a mistake two out and a slow jump at the last to quicken four and a quarter lengths clear of Gelino Bello in the card’s Grade Two novice hurdle.
Earlier in the afternoon, My Drogo got off the mark over fences at the second attempt after a late mishap here last month.
There were occasional moments when punters who had backed My Drogo at 2-9 might have been having second thoughts, as Harry Skelton’s mount gave himself plenty to do to clear a couple of the early obstacles. His timing and confidence visibly improved as the race went on, however, and his jumps at the final two fences were the best of the round.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
“I know he has made a couple of brave errors,” Dan Skelton, the winner’s trainer, said, “but the two that he didn’t get perfectly as he was a long way off them, he stays committed.
“He doesn’t go long then at the last minute, change his mind to go short. If he is long, he stays long and that is very important. If he changed his mind, it would be dangerous.”
My Drogo is priced at about 7-1 for the Turners Novice Chase over two and a half miles at the Festival next March. “You couldn’t dare go three [miles],” Skelton said, “and I think over two, you would have to be super-aggressive.”
