Dobbs scores on double
Jacob bounces back from sad loss at Ascot
PAT DOBBS from Enniscorthy returned after eleven days on the sidelines to pull off a sparkling Group 3 double from his four rides as the Meydan Carnival continued in Dubai on Thursday, with each race worth more than €100,000, leaving some of the world’s top riders in his wake.
He was expected to land the UAE Oaks on the Doug Watson-trained Mnasek, the 6/5 favourite, and he obliged in impressive style by six and a half lengths, with Frankie Dettori further back in third on Saeed Bin Suroor’s Last Sunset (11/8).
The Enniscorthy man pulled off a real shock in the concluding six-furlong sprint on Watson’s 25/1 shot, Al Tariq. In a perfectly-timed run, he took it up with 50 yards to go and had half a length to spare over Mikael Barzalona on Important Mission (4/1), with William Buick another three lengths back in third on hot favourite Gladiator King (4/9).
He kept up the good work on Friday with another double for Watson at the lower profile meeting at Jebel Ali on a pair of favourites, Pharoah King (5/2) in a one-mile two-furlong handicap, and Uncle Hamed (7/4) over seven furlongs, taking it up in the final one hundred yards.
At Ascot on Saturday, Daryl Jacob had one of those unfortunate days that sometimes happen in racing when he lost a horse he has been closely associated with for quite a few years.
Mid-race he had to pull up L’ami Serge and it was immediately obvious the horse had broken a leg. There was no option but to put down the popular eleven-year-old.
It was a big blow for Jacob personally and for trainer Nicky Henderson and owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede for whom Jacob is the retained rider. He first won on the horse in January 2016 and had ridden him 18 times since then with three more wins, including the French Champion Hurdle in 2017 and the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle at the 2018 Grand National meeting when he outgunned Jessica Harrington’s Supasundae.
L’ami Serge rarely ran a poor race and he was a battling second on eight occasions, capturing the public imagination over his seven years and 25 runs in Britain.
He had only five runs since that big Aintree success and did not have quite the same sparkle but amassed career earnings of more than £660,000. Many tributes were paid to L’ami Serge and it was a sad way for his career to end.
Racing can be a tough game at times and Jacob had to fulfil a booking in the very next race, the Grade 1 £100k Betfair Chase, on Master Tommytucker (7/2) for Paul Nicholls. It is a tribute to his professionalism that he gave the horse a terrific ride but had to accept second behind Dashel Drasher (4/1).
There was an unusually strong Sunday card at Newbury, and Jacob and his owners got some quick compensation with a great win in the £45k Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase when he guided Sceau Royal (3/1) to victory over Champ (5/1), who was having his first outing since his last-gasp RSA Chase win at the Cheltenham Festival last March.
It was a nicely-judged ride by Jacob to take it up two out, and he won snugly by two lengths. Nicky Henderson was delighted with Champ’s run over an inadequate two miles and he will be aimed at the Cheltenham Gold Cup next month.
On the flat in Britain, P.J. McDonald has been having a quiet time but got back to the winners’ enclosure at Newcastle on Saturday evening aboard The Brora Pobbles (11/2) for Andrew Whilans.
On the home front, the weather was the real winner with meetings at Clonmel, Limerick and Gowran all being lost.
Thurles did go ahead in tough conditions on Monday and there was little Wexford success. The best effort was second for Paul Nolan’s Mercury Lane (9/2) under Bryan Cooper, overhauled by Keith Donoghue on Gordon Elliott’s Dunboyne (3/1).
The best was kept until last and Seán Flanagan delivered a great ride at Navan on Sunday to take the €35k Grade 2 Boyne Hurdle on Noel Meade’s well-backed Beacon Edge (8/1 in the morning to start at 15/8).
He stalked Jack Kennedy on Gordon Elliott’s favourite, Fury Road (11/8), laid down a strong challenge on the run-in and got up by a neck in a thriller.
It was a great way for Flanagan to end a win-less lean spell going back 30 rides to Punchestown on January 18.
Jamie Codd won yet another bumper for Gordon Elliott, his 32nd win of the season from just 112 rides for a remarkable 28% strike rate. This one was on Ginto (5/6f) and he coasted in by eight lengths.