Bridgwater delight as The Conditional edges out Kildisart

David Bridgwater only has a small yard at Stow-on-the-wold but, after several near-misses in the Gold Cup with The Giant Bolster, he finally saddled his first Festival winner when The Conditional beat Kildisart in an all-cotswold finish to the

Ultima Handicap yesterday. As a jockey, for his father Ken and Martin Pipe, Bridgwater rode five Festival winners but he explained he has always been lucky at the course.

“I know I haven’t had many bullets to fire but I wouldn’t run a horse here that hasn’t got a chance,” he said. “I’m not a social person, so I don’t come here for the social.”

The Conditional, who was picked up off the floor at the second last by Brendan Powell when he pecked badly, was runner-up in the Ladbrokes Trophy in December and that was clearly no fluke.

“I thought we were stuffed when he pecked but it has probably done

us a favour,” he explained. “I didn’t want him to hit the front too soon.

“He’s a good horse. I was umming and ahhing about running in the RSA and I was half hoping we’d get balloted out of this because I thought he’d be placed in that race.”

Elsewhere, the day’s training honours went to Henry de Bromhead and Nicky Henderson, who both saddled doubles.

Before Honeysuckle took the mares’ race, de Bromhead was on the mark when Put The Kettle On, a 16-1 shot and regarded very much as the stable’s second string behind Notebook, beat Fakir d’oudairies one and a half lengths in the Racing