The biggest crowd since Gold Cup day in March 2020 crammed into the stands here on Saturday for the Paddy Power Gold Cup, and more than 30,000 fans were gripped by every second and stride of the run up to the famous hill as Midnight Shadow, at 9-1, held-on by just three-quarters of a length from the fast-finishing favourite, Protektorat. “How did you know you were going to hold on right to the line?”, Ryan Mania, the winner’s jockey, was asked shortly afterwards. “I didn’t,” was the honest reply.
As it was on Friday, when Rachael Blackmore performed a minor miracle to stay aboard Gin On Lime, the second-last fence proved to be a turning point in the race. Coole Cody, last year’s front-running winner, had produced a convincing reprise of that performance from the off and he was still going strongly when he clipped the top of the first fence in the home straight and stumbled to the ground on landing.
Fontwell Park: 12.25 Wiseguy 12.55 Romanor 1.25 Guy De Guye 2.00 Moulins Clermont 2.35 Bleue Away 3.10 Salty Boy 3.43 Quinta Do Mar
Cheltenham: 1.10 Does He Know 1.45 Go Another One (nb) 2.20 Nube Negra 2.55 Jesse Evans (nap) 3.30 Washington 4.00 Timeforatune
That left Midnight Shadow in a clear lead and apparently in need only of a clean jump at the last to secure the win. He jumped it soundly enough but then slipped on landing, briefly leaving Mania with clear daylight between jockey and saddle. He did well to sit tight but his mount was suddenly in need of the line, with the most famous hill in National Hunt racing still to come.
A wall of noise tumbled down from the stands as they set off to climb it, with Protektorat, the 11-2 favourite, leading a pack of rivals who were closing in with every stride. Midnight Shadow’s lead was down to three-quarters of a length as he finally made it across the line, with Protektorat in second and Lalor and Dostal Phil filling the frame.
Mania and Sue Smith, Midnight Shadow’s trainer, won the Grand National with 66-1 shot Auroras Encore in 2013, and the trainer was rightly proud of her latest big-race success.
“We only had one horse to bring down here and he’s paid us back today,” Smith said. “It was terrifying to watch. There aren’t many horses that could have done what he’s done at the last and I just thought ‘that’s it’, but he just picked himself up and kept going.
“I’m probably a bit more emotional [than after the National] because I’m that much older. It’s special for everyone because we’re only a small yard and the northern yards don’t get to do this very often.”
Mania, who retired from race-riding 18 months after his Grand National success, was celebrating his most valuable win since returning to the saddle in 2019.
“He got a little bit lonely, which he can do in his races if he is in front for too long, and the lack of concentration maybe didn’t help,” Mania said. “In fairness, he was never going to get beat as he is very game. I could feel the horses coming to me but he was never going to let them past.
“I’m sure it is emotional for most jockeys but it is especially emotional for me to have retired and come back and do all this for my family. I was very positive and that is how I rode him and that is how he has gone and done it. There are no plans to retire. I’ve got a good 10 years in me yet.”
Dan Skelton, Protektorat’s trainer, had earlier seen his novice chaser Third Time Lucki maintain an unbeaten record over fences with an easy success in the Grade Two November Novice Chase.
Third Time Lucki jumped with impressive speed and precision throughout and put in a spectacular leap at the fourth-last before being pushed out up the hill to win by nearly five lengths.
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“Originally, the plan was to go here and then Henry VIII [novice chase at Sandown in December],” Skelton said. “Whether that’s going to happen now, I just need to speak to Mike [Newbould, his owner]. He could go straight to Kempton [at Christmas].”
The main target for Third Time Lucki, though, remains the Festival meeting in March and he remains around 10-1 for the Arkle Trophy, in a market headed by Willie Mullins’s Appreciate It at around 5-2.
Sunday’s TV tips
Twenty of the 47 declared runners on the final day of Cheltenham’s November meeting are due to run in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle, which highlights the disappointing field sizes elsewhere on the card but does at least focus the punters’ attention and betting money on one of the most competitive Cheltenham handicaps this side of the Festival meeting in March. Nicky Henderson’s lightly-raced No Ordinary Joe, in the JP McManus colours, will attract plenty of support, as his trainer launched his hurdling career in a Grade Two at Ascot last year when he was around 10 lengths behind the top-class My Drogo.
He went on to win small-field events at Southwell and Worcester but Sunday’s test will be very different and it could pay to look towards a runner with more experience. Glory And Fortune has registered a strong time in both of his win so far this season, but the outstanding individual piece of form in the race may be the close fourth by Jesse Evans (2.55) in theGalway Hurdle in July.
Noel Meade’s gelding was forced to race a little wider than ideal but still finishing close behind the principals and may well have been trained with Sunday’s race in mind ever since.
Cheltenham 1.45 This Grade Three handicap could take less winning than the one in which Go Another One finished fifth at the October meeting here. John McConnell’s gelding has plenty of form at the track and is a fair price at around 9-2 to be yet another Irish-trained winner at Cheltenham this year.
Cheltenham 2.20 Just four runners for the Grade Two Schloer Chase but a competitive race all the same, with Politologue and Put The Kettle On, the last two winners of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, in the field. Slight preference, though, is for Nube Negra, who looked a little unfortunate when only a length behind Put The Kettle On at the Festival and may have more scope for improvement as this will be just his eighth start over fences.
Cheltenham 3.30 Another small field but again all four runners are in with a chance. I Like To Move It is unbeaten in two starts over timber and the overnight favourite at around 11-10, but he could make the market for a bet on *Washington *at around 11-4. The form of his debut win over hurdles at Bangor is backed up by the clock and he won there with plenty in hand.
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