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. Noel Meade’s Monksland (9/4) behind Jessie Harrington’s 7/4 favourite, Supasundae, in the €20,000 hurdle.
There was a sizeable Wexford contingent at the traditional New Year’s Day meeting at Tramore but they picked up just one win - Paul Nolan’s Peculiar Genius (10/1) scoring under David Mullins in the handicap hurdle.
Fairyhouse on Sunday was a blank meeting for Wexford connections, having to be content with three seconds.
Sue Bramall trains near Clonegal and she came closest to success with her Diamond Cauchois ridden by Andrew Ring up front most of the way before being collared by a late Ruby Walsh surge on Shannak in the handicap hurdle.
Jonathan Moore was second on Noel Meade’s Gettysburg Address in the maiden hurdle, and Jamie Codd was second in the bumper on Derrinross behind another Mullins hotshot, Next Destination, going down by less than a length after a powerful drive.
At this halfway point of the National Hunt season, a few Wexford jockeys have done very well so far, with three in the championship top 20.
Seán Flanagan is seventh on 34 winners; remarkably as an amateur, Jamie Codd is in twelfth place on 23, mostly gained in bumpers, and Mikey Fogarty is 17th on 17 winners. Codd’s 30% winning strike rate is only exceeded by the champion, Ruby Walsh.