Racing Ascot, Haydock Park, Wincanton and Gowran Park and bloodstock
A rising star pays tribute to his late trainer with an uplifting win after a ding-dong battle with the great Cue Card
WAITING PATIENTLY is a fitting epitaph to the life of Malcolm Jefferson. A day after the funeral of one of the country’s most respected National Hunt trainers, his horse struck gold in a Betfair Ascot Chase which was memorable for so many reasons.
As much as it was a celebration of the Jefferson name, with his daughter Ruth preparing rising star Waiting Patiently for his sixth consecutive win over fences, it became more uplifting by the magnificent effort of Cue Card as he finished just two and threequarter lengths behind a rival five years his junior.
It had hardly been the first time the spring-heeled colossus had been written off — even as a dual winner of the race he went off at 9/1 — but there had not been too many high points since this time last year and he had been moving in slow motion when trailing behind Bristol De Mai in the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
Suddenly, with Paddy Brennan reinstated in the saddle but his customary noseband missing,
Cue Card was again moving with that irresistible enthusiasm in front. He still had every chance of a 10th top-level triumph until he was headed by a strong-travelling Waiting Patiently after the second-last and even had another go when his rival hung approaching the line.
Colin Tizzard was proud to bursting point with Cue Card, who was given such a warm reception upon returning from the track.
“At aged 12 and to be doing what he’s doing — he’s just good, isn’t he?” he said.
JEFFERSON’S LEGACY
ALTHOUGH a first Grade One for Ruth Jefferson had arrived within a fortnight of her taking over the licence at Newstead Cottage Stables in Malton, it had been a far longer wait at this level after many years of trying for the north’s leading jockey Brian Hughes, who blew a kiss to the above after passing the line.
“He’s not straightforward for Brian, he’s got his own way of jumping, but he’s a Grade One horse now,” she said. “He won’t
run if it isn’t soft at Cheltenham and we’re not going to risk him for the sake of it.”
Malcolm Jefferson trained four Cheltenham Festival winners and became the first Briton to end Irish domination in the Champion Bumper in 1995. Remembered for his kindliness and shrewd placement of horses, it seemed all the more poignant that the string he has left in his legacy appears one of his finest, with Cloudy Dream sure to represent them well in the Ryanair Chase even if Waiting Patiently misses out.
His daughter reiterated her gratitude to well-wishers and admitted that the “house looked like a florist’s” thanks to all the bouquets.
“We had hundreds of cards, letters and emails, even people who had met him once chatted to him at the races,” she said.
“That was Dad, if anyone rang to ask to come and look around, straightaway he said yes. He was happy to show off what he achieved in a quiet way, without shouting about it.”
Cue Card would seem very likely to head to Cheltenham and Tizzard could yet opt for the Ryanair if it looks easier than the Gold Cup.
FOCUS ON FROST
BRYONY FROST has quickly become one of the focal points of this season and she collected yet another significant Saturday winner in the Sodexo Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot.
As the effervescent rider regularly points out, Black
Corton has been a vital part of her emergence and now he is finally gaining some of his own recognition.
The unprepossessing gelding seemed to have been picked as a sensible conveyance to get Frost off the mark as a conditional in a minor race at Worcester last summer, but the partnership has flourished to the extent that they have won on seven of their eight appearances together, including a Grade One at Kempton on Boxing Day.
In their prep run for the RSA at Cheltenham, with Black Corton having missed a short spell with a hoof problem, not only did
Frost keep her mount flowing, she dictated the tempo and had enough up her sleeve to come eight lengths clear of Ms Parfois.
The horse’s promotion through a few leagues of the string has even surprised 10-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls.
“Who knows where he’ll end up,” he said. “He just keeps improving and improving. He’s very versatile now and has just responded to everything. He could end up running in the
King George one day, we know he likes Kempton.”
Frost, who also finished third on Frodon in the Ascot Chase, was again joyously anthropomorphic about her old friend.
“You’ve got to see him as his own person,” she said. “When you get a little bit low and put your heels into him and click in his ear, he just opens up.
“It’s the best feeling in the world, coming out of those last two fences in perfect isolation.”