High Bridge, who was bred in the hope that he would win Classics on the Flat, made an impressive winning debut over hurdles at Newbury on Wednesday to earn quotes of around 25-1 for both the Neptune Novice Hurdle and the Supreme Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.
High Bridge’s dam, Ameerat, won the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket in May 2001, while Monsun, his sire, was a multiple Group One winner on the Flat. He was a leading bumper performer for John Ferguson last season, when he finished sixth in the Festival Bumper at Cheltenham, and joined Ben Pauling over the summer when Ferguson relinquished his licence to take a new full-time role as chief executive of Sheikh Mohammed’s powerful Godolphin operation.
The gelding still runs in the colours of his former trainer, however, and John Ferguson was at Newbury to see his son Alex ride High Bridge to a three-length success in the Blackmore Building Maiden Hurdle over an extended two miles.
“We are all obviously over the moon and it means a lot,” Pauling said. “John Ferguson and Alex Ferguson prepared this horse and sent him to me in magnificent condition. It is great for Alex to ride in a top-class novice hurdle so competently.
“He jumped well, travelled well and stayed well to the line. We will keep him to this trip but then, come March, if he is good enough, he may want further [in the Neptune Novice Hurdle].”
Richard Johnson, who rode The New One to a valuable victory at Cheltenham last Saturday after his regular rider Ryan Hatch suffered serious injuries in a fall the previous day, will ride another of Hatch’s intended mounts, Ballyoptic, in the Grade One JLT Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday.
Ballyoptic, who is a stable companion of The New One at Nigel Twiston-Davies’s west country stable, is top-priced at 8-1 for Saturday’s race, in a market headed by Harry Fry’s Unowhatimeanharry at 11-8. Ballyoptic finished six lengths behind Unowhatimeanharry in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury last month.
“I am very lucky to pick up Ryan Hatch’s spare ride on Ballyoptic,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “His bad luck has been my good luck. It is nice to know he is doing well in hospital.
“I think he has got to improve to beat Harry Fry’s horse. Harry’s horses are in good form, but so are Nigel Twiston-Davies’. At Ascot, it’s a stayers’ track and he won the three-mile race at Aintree last year, so I would like to think a stiff track at Ascot would suit.”
