A-OK for Corral in Sky Bet success
Top weight was not enough to stop OK Corral from producing a power packed and tenacious finish to land the Sky Bet Chase under leading amateur Mr Derek O’Connor for trainer Nicky Henderson and owner J.P.McManus.
Winless since the pair teamed up to victory in the Hampton Novices Chase at Warwick last season, the 9/1 chance, who made the trip across the Irish Sea for his partner a worthwhile one, conjured steady, stealthy progress at the business end of the three mile trip to score by half a length from Fingerontheswitch, who was racing off 10-5 with jockey Miss Millie Wonnacott taking a further 7lbs off his original 10-12 weight.
Monbeg River, Ravenhill Road and Dingo Dollar led at flagfall, starting well out of sight of the assembled crowd at Doncaster, and headed on the run down towards the first fence.
No serious blemishes were noted during the first mile of the race, save for Cobra De Mai and Azzerti, who both had to be ridden along to maintain position and pick their ideas up slightly by their respective jockeys.
Monbeg River was asked for a big leap at the ditch, the tenth fence of the race, and gave a good one, while the same couldn’t be said for Looksnowtlikebrian, who barely lifted a leg and ploughed through it, leaving jockey James Bowen prostrate across it and both feet out of the irons. He managed to get back aboard, but his race was over from that point and was pulled up not long after.
At 6 out Derek O’Connor was cruising in mid division, sitting comfortably on the rail while others such as Calipto, Quarenta and Solomon Grey were being ridden to maintain their position. At 5 out at least 10 had chances as they went over it, but Monbeg River’s chance took a hit as he blundered at the cross fence. Good Man Pat came under a drive, as did Burbank, Jeremiah McGrath getting more serious aboard him.
At 4 out Ravenhill Road flew it and landed a length up on Dingo Dollar and Fingerontheswitch, who had crept into contention under Millie Wonnacott and took dead aim at the leader. Another bad blunder from Monbeg River ended his chances, jockey Sean Quinlan bouncing in the saddle on landing, and the same error was made by Chidswell, his jockey Brian Hughes bouncing aboard the 11 year old and dropping back.
At 3 out Fingerontheswitch went to the lead, but in behind OK Corral went from sixth to third over the fence and began to grind away up the inside to join the leader as Ravenhill Road dropped back. The two up ahead jumped the penultimate fence as one and quickly put 7 lengths between them and the third place Dingo Dollar, who had gone past Ravenhill Road as he floundered between the final two fences. There was nothing in it as they jumped the last as a mirror image of one another, and set it out to slug it out like two twelfth round boxers. All the way up the run in it was hard, tenacious, grinding and gutsy work, but OK Corral just pulled enough out under his talented and willing partner, and lasted home to win by half a length. The pair had pulled 14 lengths clear from Chidswell, who miraculously had stayed on into third after his blunder up the home straight, with Ravenhill Road finding enough to overhaul Dingo Dollar into fourth.
Post race, William Hill reduced the price of the winner from 20/1 to 16/1 for the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Festival in March, while Bet365 have him at 12/1, vying for favouritism with The Conditional and Pym.
