HE’S MAI HERO

Jockey Jacob pays tribute to grey as he beats Betfair rivals by 57 lengths

BRISTOL DE MAI gave an awesome front-running display as he destroyed Grade One rivals in the Betfair Chase at Haydock.

The grey made every yard of the running under Daryl Jacob for a staggering 57-length success.

Nigel Twiston-Davies’ six-yearold never saw another horse to complete a big double for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, who also won Ascot’s Christy 1965 Chase with Top Notch.

Cue Card was never travelling well in his bid to win the race for a fourth time but plugged on for a brave second under Harry

Cobden.

Jacob said:

“He’s phenomenal, a beautiful horse. We’ve always thought the world of him.”

It was the first leg of the

£1million

Jockey Club treble.

The second is the King

George VI Chase to be staged on

Boxing Day at Kempton Park for which Paddy

Power cut

Bristol De Mai to 7-1 from

16-1. The bookie also clipped the horse to 40-1 from 150-1 to do the £1million treble with the third leg being the Gold Cup in March at Cheltenham. The winning trainer said: “That was very good. “I only had to worry about the last few fences. “We’ve had a brief chat and the idea would be the King George, the Cotswold Chase and then the Gold Cup.

“You might not get this ground at Kempton but we’ll see.

“He goes out and has his own way of doing it. He has a big engine. He’s always worked fantastically well and he’s a supreme horse. He’s very much an Imperial Commander type – he’s a big, strong, gorgeous horse.

“It was a bit of a rush to get to the Gold Cup last year. I don’t think he was at his best.”

Trainer Colin Tizzard accepted that Cue Card had been beaten by a horse on top of his game.

He said: “He’s run on a par with his other runs. He’s just been beaten by a very good horse on the day. The winner blew the race away. Cue Card jumped round and galloped on and finished second.

“We’ll go back home and see how he is.”