‘PEGASUS’ FLIES IN FOR BRYONY
Frodon finds his wings in Ryanair
Trained by Emma Lavelle and ridden by Aidan Coleman, Paisley Park looked to have it all to do entering the home straight, but he displayed a potent turn of foot to take the lead approaching the final flight.
Despite an untidy leap, the sevenyear-old son of Oscar ran on willingly for Coleman’s urgings to score by two and three-quarter lengths.
Gemmell, who has been blind since birth, said: “This is fantastic and a real dream for me. I cannot believe it has happened.
“I still had hopes during the race because we know that is the way Paisley Park runs.
“I hope this is the first of many because I will keep coming back. We are so chuffed and we’re all in tears.”
Gemmell is a fan of the singer Prince and the gelding is named after a song written by the late American artist and the house where he lived in Minneapolis. Paisley Park also runs in the colours of Gemmell’s favourite football team, West Ham United.
He added: “Paisley Park is a bit like Big Buck’s and Baracouda in that he does hit a flat spot, but he keeps finding. It was also a scary moment when he made a mistake at the last.
“This has been a brilliant journey and I have enjoyed it all the way. I’ve been to Cheltenham for years and years. It is jsomething else to be in the winner’s enclosure.”
FROST MAKES HISTORY AS FRODON TAKES RYANAIR
Bryony Frost returned to a huge reception after making Cheltenham Festival history as the first female rider to win a top-level race at the meeting on her great pal Frodon (9/2) in what looked the hottest Ryanair Chase in years.
Cheltenham specialist Frodon forced the pace from the start but looked in trouble when headed by Aso (33/1) two out. However the pair found extra reserves and forced their way ahead again on the run-in, winning by a length and a quarter.
Frost stood up in the saddle and pointed proudly to Frodon with both hands as she returned to the winner’s enclosure, where she was given an emotional welcome from the horse’s connections and from her father Jimmy, who numbered a Champion Hurdle win on Morley Street among three Festival wins, her mother Nikki, and her brother Hadden, who was also a Festival winner and had travelled from the USA for the meeting.
Wiping away tears she said: “Frodon has got his day. He is Pegasus, he has wings, and he is the most incredible battler. He travelled and by God he jumps. When he got overtaken two out, most horses would quit, but he grabbed me by the hands and said ‘don’t you dare give up, don’t you dare not send me into the last, I want this more than you, now come on!’
“He is the personification of determination. Look at what he has done there and tell me he does not love racing. He is unbelievable. The dream he has just made come true for me is just incredible. He deserves every single pat, carrot and polo. This is his day.”
“It was just incredible. I can’t explain how much I love that horse.”
DEFI DU SEUIL GETS HOBBS BACK IN THE GAME
The 3/1 favourite Defi Du Seuil gave trainer Philip Hobbs his 20th winner at the Festival when taking the JLT Novices’ Chase.
It was Somerset-based Hobbs’ first Festival success since Defi Du Seuil took the JCB Triumph Hurdle in 2017 – and his first in the JLT Novices’ Chase.
The Barry Geraghty-ridden favourite beat Lostintranslation (Colin Tizzard/Robbie Power) by two and a quarter lengths. It was the third meeting between the two novice chasers this season and the decider after one victory for each.
An emotional Hobbs said: “He’s amazing. He’s very, very tough and his jumping is fantastic. Sometimes these smaller horses are better at the whole thing because they are more athletic.
“He only ran twice last season, but the horses weren’t 100% healthy and if they are not, they are not going to win.
“He’s been our main flagship now for a while. He jumped beautifully and had
a great run all the way round – it couldn’t have gone better. It’s the third time in the last three runs that we have met Lostintranslation.
“I was quite confident that he was in a great rhythm and there was not one blip – every fence was fantastic.
“It’s too early to think about next season, but if we had to guess at this stage, I’d say probably the Ryanair Chase.”
GERAGHTY MASTERCLASS ON SIRE DU BERLAIS
Backers of long-time ante-post fancy Sire Du Berlais (4/1 favourite) owe a huge debt of gratitude to jockey Barry Geraghty after the Festival’s second most successful jockey of all time gave the seven-year-old the ride of the meeting so far to get him home a neck ahead of Tobefair (40/1).
Geraghty was unlucky in the corresponding race 12 months on nose second Glenloe and it looked for much of the last mile as if he was going to struggle again on the well-backed winner, who traded at 240/1 in running.
He said: “I thought I was in trouble coming away from three out – it got tight for room – but he rallied and rallied. It was a good battle and a game performance.
“My three kids are at home watching – Síofra, Órla and Rian. Órla’s class had the TV on in the classroom for the last race, so I hope they had it on for this race as well.”
He added: “Luckily enough when I got stuck into him he pulled out for me and fought his way back into it. It was a good performance from the horse because he wasn’t in the prettiest spots. There was plenty of traffic, but he was responding to urgings and was a willing partner.
“I was never confident, but I was hoping to get Mark Walsh (Not Many Left) on my outside, and then when I got him I saw another one (Tobefair) coming on my inside, so then I was just hoping for the line. There was a lot of hoping.
“It’s just great to get winners here. Not every lad is as fortunate as I am to get on good horses who can win, and there are good lads in there who aren’t riding winners. It means so much. It’s the be all and end all.”
KELLY GETS HER MOMENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Lizzie Kelly followed Bryony Frost’s Ryanair Chase win with success on Siruh Du Lac in the Stable Plate Handicap Chase.
It was Kelly’s second success at the Festival – her first came last year on Coo Star Sivola in the Ultima Handicap Chase. She was the first female professional jockey to win a race at the Festival then.
It was a bold, front-running performance from Kelly and the six-year-old Siruh Du Lac, who is trained by Kelly’s stepfather Nick Williams. They won by three-quarters of a length at 9/2 from the 3/1 favourite, Janika.
She said: “I watched Bryony and thought ‘that was my game plan!’ My question mark was whether Siruh Du Lac would stay, because I was not really in a position to be taking a pull down the back to get a breather into him. He travelled really well and by God, he jumped. He is an absolute
monster and will come on from that as well.
“It was fantastic watching Bryony. She and Rachael (Blackmore) are excellent jockeys and are making us perform better. I am delighted we have a really good girls’ weighing room at the moment. With three winners this week, it is very good.”
Kelly continued: “He jumps, and I just knew that was my biggest weapon. I wanted to control the race - I thought he’d get home because he battled back really well last time - but last time I was having to really hold on to him and not use his jumping to his best ability, and I just knew I could really get people into trouble early doors.”
FEHILY ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER 50-1 SHOCK
Noel Fehily steered 50/1 shot Eglantine Du Seuil to victory in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, and then announced he intends to retire in the coming weeks.
The five-year-old daughter of Saddler Maker is trained by Willie Mullins, who has now won all four renewals of the £90,000 extended two-mile event. She got up on the line to record a short-head success from 66/1 stable companion Concertista.
Fehily said: “I was fairly sure Eglantine Du Seuil’s head was down on the line. I would have been very disappointed if I hadn’t got up as I have come from a very long way back.”
Fehily has ridden seven Cheltenham Festival winners. The 43-year-old continued: “This is going to be my last Festival as I am getting a bit old for this job – that will be it now.
“I am not getting any younger and it’s a young man’s game. I’ve been thinking about retiring for a couple of weeks. I wasn’t well for a while and I just thought it was time to let the young lads get on with it.”
ANY SECOND NOW A SECOND FESTIVAL WINNER FOR TED AFTER 22-YEAR WAIT
Ted Walsh has always had a special affinity with the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase after winning it as a jockey on Castleruddery in 1974 and Prolan in 1976, and he added a third win in the race, this time as a trainer, when Any Second Now (6/1) beat Kilfilum Cross by three and three quarter lengths.
The seven-year-old, who had never previously won over fences and was given a terrific ride by Derek O’Connor, was Walsh’s second as a trainer following Commanche Court in the JCB Triumph Hurdle 22 years earlier, and he was a third of the day for owner JP McManus, who also took Tuesday’s Unibet Champion Hurdle with Espoir D’Allen and has now enjoyed 58 Festival wins in total.
Walsh, father of the Festival’s leading rider Ruby, said: “You need all the help you can get here and Derek was marvellous on him all the way. It’s over 20 years since I won here with Commanche Court and over 40 since I rode Castleruddery and Prolan, and I love everything about it here.
“I only rode four winners here and I thought it was great, but Ruby can ride four winners in a day. That’s how different it is. But every year it seems to get better here. Some places lose their charm, but everything they have done here has improved it.