A Golden debut for Harrington
SIZING JOHN FIRST HORSE IN GOLD CUP
JESSICA Harrington was not content with becoming the most successful female trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival because yesterday she landed the biggest prize of them all, the Timico Gold Cup, with Sizing John.
Incredibly, Harrington had never even had a runner in the race and has only trained Sizing John since the autumn, when owner Alan Potts removed his horses from Henry de Bromhead’s yard.
In winning, Sizing John (7-1) became the first horse since Imperial Call in 1996 to land both the Irish and Cheltenham Gold Cups in the same season.
He was chased home by Minella Rocco, who just pipped Native River and Djakadam. Jockey Robbie Power won the Grand National 10 years ago on Silver Birch and has now added the biggest prize in steeplechasing.
County Kildare-based Harrington said: “I can’t believe it, it was amazing how he jumped and travelled.
“Robert said he wasn’t going to go down the inside, but he did. It’s absolutely fantastic, my first runner in a Gold Cup.
“He was running over two miles, but it was Robert who said he would stay and he did.”
She added: “This is the jewel in the crown, I’ve been watching and listening for as long as I can remember.
“I feel a bit sorry for Henry de Bromhead as I only inherited him in September and I had to get to know him and how to train him.
“He’s only seven so I’ve got to keep him right and mind him. I’ve no idea what he’ll do next, all I was thinking about was this race.”
Power said of the horse who had been placed seven times behind Douvan over shorter trip: “I always said when this horse stepped up in trip he’d win.
“Everyone has done a top-class job, it means more than any winner I’ve ridden for Jessica.
“I was only 25 when I won the National and I’m 35 now. When you’re 25 you think you can win everything, so this is very special.”
Harrington and Power doubled up in the closing Grand Annual when Rock The World (10-1) gave them a treble on the week after Supasundae’s Coral Cup win.
Willie Mullins, winless for the first two days, followed up his four-timer on Thursday with a double through Arctic Fire in the County Hurdle and Penhill in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.
Arctic Fire (20-1), second in the Champion Hurdle in his youth, had not run for over a year but came with a late rattle under Paul Townend.
Townend said: “It’s some training performance to get him back after such a long absence. I went out with the mindset to ride him like the best horse and thankfully it paid off.”
Penhill (16-1), also ridden by Townend, powered up the hill to beat Monalee to give Mullins another Grade One triumph.