Solo in pole position for Festival joy
Several horses booked a road trip to the Cheltenham Festival in just over a fortnight at Kempton yesterday but nothing made quite the impact that the Paul Nicholls-trained French import Solo did after running away with the Weatherbys Adonis Juvenile on his British debut.
The colt, who was sharply promoted to as short as 3-1 favourite for the Triumph Hurdle by one bookmaker and is no longer than 5-1 with the others, beat Irish raider Fujimoto Flyer 11 lengths without Harry Cobden ever having to get serious.
Despite owning Cyrname and a string of other decent horses, Solo’s owner, Johnny de la Hey, has only had one Festival winner, Diego du Charmil in the Fred Winter in 2016, but the way Solo galloped and jumped certainly has the potential to double that tally.
“I’m delighted with that and he’s been showing us in the morning that he’s smart,” said Nicholls, who sent out Zarkandar to win this before he won the Triumph in 2011.
“Sometimes those horses that come over from France at Christmas don’t acclimatise. For a colt he’s very relaxed and laid-back. He’s the same model as Master Minded and he’ll be a big strong chaser one day but the Triumph will suit him because they’ll go quick.”
It has been an up and down fortnight for De La Hey. A fortnight ago he won the Betfair Hurdle with 33-1 shot Pic d’Orhy while last week 1-3 shot Cyrname lay for dead for five minutes before getting up at Ascot.
“I wouldn’t want to repeat that,” said De La Hey about Cyrname’s fall. “Every horse is treasured but one like that is treasured a bit more. Until five minutes ago I wasn’t thinking about Cheltenham for this horse but now you would have to be hopeful.”
Highway One O Two, a facile winner of his past two starts at Plumpton, burst a few bubbles in the Sky Bet Dovecote Novice Hurdle after making nearly all the running.
He still looked a bit green up the home straight when beating West Cork 4¾ lengths but his trainer, Chris Gordon, might aim him for the Imperial Cup rather than take him to the hurlyburly of a Festival.
“He does carry me so he’s used to 14st every day and probably thought he was loose,” said Gordon for whom it was a first Grade Two winner.
The novice was one of three winners on the day for jockey Tom Cannon, the other two of which were for Alan King where he has slipped into the retired Wayne Hutchinson’s boots.
One of them, Who Dares Wins, a horse who has already taken his owners to Cheltenham, Royal Ascot and Longchamp, will head to the Festival for the RSA Chase after winning the Betway Pendil Novice Chase although the fall of Master Tommytucker at the fourth last when in front meant the race was less enlightening than it might have been.
Jonjo O’Neill Jnr was another jockey to come in for praise after riding Mister Malarky to victory in the Betway Handicap Chase for Colin Tizzard.
Having looked smart last season when winning the Reynoldstown Chase he has been stymied by heavy ground this winter but the better ground yesterday saw a return to form.
“That was a brilliant ride,” said the trainer who will aim the winner for the Ultima Handicap Chase.
“For the first five fences he did well to keep his position. We haven’t been able to run him for 60 days because of the ground but he’s a fresh horse now for the spring.”
‘For a colt he’s very relaxed and laid-back. He’ll be a big strong chaser one day’
Leighton Aspell, who won the Grand National two years in a row on Pineau de Re (2014) and Many Clouds (2015), announced that he will retire from riding after taking his last two rides at Fontwell today.
Aspell, 43, who “retired” once before, returned to become the first jockey to win back-to-back Nationals on different horses since the Fifties.