Jacob, O’Brien in Britain’s top ten
DARYL JACOB from Davidstown was home for Leopardstown on Tuesday, and at Limerick on Wednesday he got a short-priced winner in the featured €28,000 Irish Independent listed hurdle on Missy Tata (2/5f) for Gordon Elliott.
This was some compensation for Jacob who was very unlucky at the big Kempton meeting on Monday in the £70,000 grade one Kauto Star Novice Chase. Jacob led much of the way on Nicky Henderson’s well-backed Might Bite (11/2) despite jumping left a few times, and was ten lengths clear and still going strong when he fell at the last. This handed the race to Colin Tizzard’s Royal Vacation, ridden by Paddy Brennan.
Jacob was back in Newbury on Saturday for just two rides and picked up the feature of the day, the £40,000 grade one Challow Novices’ Hurdle, on Messire Des Obeaux (10/3) for Alan King, ahead of a Gordon Elliott raider, Baltazar D’Allier, ridden by Barry Geraghty for J.P. McManus.
His up and down week ended with double disappointment in the final two races at Cheltenham on Sunday, going down by a head in both. He seemed set to take the £40,000 grade two Relkeel Hurdle on Nicky Henderson’s L’Ami Serge (2/1f) but was caught on the line by Lizzie Kelly aboard Agrapart (16/1).
In the concluding bumper, he came second on Henderson’s Daphne Du Clos (5/2), having been done no favours by the winner, Paddy Brennan on Cap Soleil (11/8f), as they brushed close home in a tough finish.
At the mid-point of the season, Jacob is ninth in the British riders’ championship with 55 wins from 250 rides, a remarkable 22 per cent strike rate. Just one place behind him is Tom O’Brien, Aidan’s nephew from Adamstown, on 51 winners.
Jonathan Moore, in his first season with Rebecca Curtis, has ridden 24 winners for a very impressive 21% per cent strike rate.
Jacob and Moore are among the most profitable riders to follow in Britain; an even euro on each of their rides for the season so far would see you €60 ahead for Jacob and almost €45 ahead for Moore. The only one to better them in top 30 is Paddy Brennan who has an unbelievable strike rate of 24% for a profit of €127.