A JACOB MASTERCLASS
Davidstown jockey’s first career five-timer pays 3,725/1
JUMPS RACING was wiped out in Ireland last week, and a very thin diet survived in Britain until some good racing on Saturday when Wexford’s Daryl Jacob earned all the headlines at Wincanton with one of the best days of his career.
The in-form jockey had a 3,725/1 five-timer and a second from his eight rides.
This was the Davidstown man’s first time to ride five winners on the one card and, remarkably, all five were for different trainers.
A beaming Jacob said afterwards: ‘It’s been a great day, it’s a wonderful achievement.
‘I had some nice rides coming into today and they’ve all produced their stuff.
‘Sometimes you get days where you get a lot of placed horses when they’ve done their jobs, so this is really good.’
The victory of Messire Des Obeaux in the featured £24,000 Grade 2 Paddy Power Dipper Novices’ Chase was the highlight of a glorious afternoon for Jacob, who was also successful on Ede’iffs Elton, Capeland, A night in lambourn, and Jackson Hill.
Missire Des Obeaux, trained by Alan King, had only recently broken a four-year spell without a win going back to his Grade 1 Challow Hurdle victory in 2016, having endured a string of injuries.
He went off at 9/4 and Jacob steered him home nearly five lengths clear of the hot favourite, Protekorat (1/2f).
Trainer King said: ‘He’s always been a very good horse, but it’s been a hell of a job getting him back.
‘We always knew he’d love a fence, but for a long time we never knew if we’d get him there.’
Daryl came in for a chance ride on Capleland (6/1) for Paul Nicholls in the second feature, the £18,500 MansionBet handicap chase, after Angus Cheleda stood down with an injury.
He certainly made it pay, staying on strongly to win by three and a half lengths.
He also scored on Ede’iffs Elton (7/2f) for Robert Walford in a three-mile plus handicap chase, and Anightinlambourn (3/1) for Ben Pauling, cruising in by five and a half lengths in a two-mile handicap hurdle.
However, Daryl kept his best ’til last as he conjured a remarkable and unlikely looking success from Jackson Hill (7/1) in a two-mile handicap chase. The horse was slow to start and a shuddering mistake at the second fence had him way out the back.
He was 100/1 with in-running punters with pulling up a distinct possibility, but a patient Jacob gave him every chance to recover and he began to pick up in the last half mile, working his way through the field to deliver a winning challenge up the straight to get home by nearly four lengths.
This was Jackson Hill’s first win in 17 outings.
Ironically, Daryl began the day on his shortest priced runner, Malinello (4/5f), in a novices’ hurdle but he was a well-beaten second on that one behind Flash Collonges (7/4) for Harry Skelton and Paul Nicholls.
There was an all-weather card of National Hunt bumpers at Lingfield on Friday, and Jacob picked up one of them on Black Kalanisi (7/1), his only ride of the day, seeing off hot favourite Mengli Khan (11/10) for Nico De Boinville and Nicky Henderson.
Jacob and Tom O’Brien were in action at Exeter on Sunday, and O’Brien had a nice winner in Crossley Tender (11/2) for Paul Henderson.
The 38-year-old Jacob is now on 39 winners for the season and he has ridden an impressive 840+ winners since moving over to try his luck in England in 2003.
He has had many highlights and big race wins including an Aintree Grand National success on Neptune Collonges in 2012 after a head-bobbing finish with Sunnyhill Boy.
On the flat in Britain, P.J. McDonald returned to action after a break and had a couple of winners from his twelve rides for the week.
He scored on Inaam (5/2f) at Wolverhampton on Monday and on Global Response (2/1) at the same track on Tuesday.