Sidney Banks Memorial Hurdle Day - Full Report

Shishkin was all talk beforehand as being the horse with the most to prove, and the current Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle favourite did just that with a facile but dominating victory in the Betway Sidney Banks Memorial Novices Hurdle at Huntingdon under a confident Nico De Boinville for trainer Nicky Henderson.

Sent off a 1/2f, the 6 year old made light work of the dramatic step up in Grade, sweeping aside talented Grade 2 performers like they were mere pit ponies, bounding clear from in between the last two hurdles to score by 11 lengths, as he had done at Newbury the time before.

Setting off in front on flagfall was Jamie Snowden's Pacify, and after the field had cleared flight one Hang In There took up the running. Shishkin was settled in the middle by Nico De Boinville, with Shan Blue and Harry Skelton nestled in rear with Up The Straight and James Davies bringing up the tail of the field.

All jumping fluidly, there was not much change in the order until swinging into the home straight and the business end of the race. Pacify was quickly beaten and started to weaken away, and as the field approached the penultimate hurdle Shishkin was sent forward by Nico and he jumped the last level with leader Hang In There.

He jumped it far better than the leader in fact, as Hang In There got the hurdle wrong and slithered on landing, coming to grief and unshipping Adam Wedge, though thankfully both horse and jockey were up fine and unscathered. It left Shishkin clear of his opponents, with only one hurdle between him and certain victory. He jumped it with accuracy and careered away from the flight, leaving all his remaining rivals in his wake to score by 11 lengths, with Shan Blue runner up, Up The Straight taking third, while Pacify trailed home a well beaten fourth.

Post race, he was shortened by many bookmakers to between 5/2 and 3/1 for the Cheltenham Festival curtain-raiser, and speaking after the race his trainer confirmed that he would be aimed at that race, rather than the longer Ballymore on the Wednesday. It will be an exciting clash between him and the owners' Asterion Forlonge, who was impressive at Leopardstown last weekend and is also expected to run in the same race. Which comes out on top in 5 weeks time?

The day began with the Betway Novices Handicap Hurdle Race, and went to the Neil Mulholland trained Chinwag, who scored under Robert Dunne for owners The Boot In Partnership.

Sent off as a 5/2JF with Bard Of Brittany, these two market rivals fought it out up the run in after the last flight, with the almost a stone and a quarter weight difference proving effective as Chinwag held off the challenge of his rival despite edging left with 100 yards to run.

At flagfall Strictly Art took up the running for the two mile contest, as Chinwag wasn’t fluid over the first, while at the opposite end Zlatan was happy to sit at the rear as the field swung into the straight for the first time. Midnight Jitterbug and Sunday at Augusta went on ahead of Strictly Art at the third, where Peripherique belted and flattened the obstacle and had to be snatched up by jockey Jack Quinlan.

Heading down the back passing halfway Ourmullion began to struggle, as did Strictly Sunset who dropped to the rear off the field approaching 3 out. Sunday At Augusta began to fade rapidly and was tailed off as the remainder of the field swung in and approached 2 out.

Chinwag took the lead at the penultimate hurdle, but wandered slightly across Midnight Jitterbug in the process, while Bard Of Brittany moved up to challenge the duo up ahead. Robert Dunne’s mount was very difficult to handle, hanging around in front and seemingly not paying a lot of attention, while Bard Of Brittany was more professional and threw down his challenge at the last.

Again the leader wandered after the final flight, and hung left in the final 150 yards, forcing Marc Goldstein to switch Bard Of Brittany right. Whilst he stuck to the task, he wasn’t quite going to get there despite a rally in the latter stages of the contest, and came up just short at the line, with Chinwag doing enough to hold on. These two were five lengths clear of Say The Word, with Midnight Jitterbug a further 3 lengths down in fourth.

Following the race, the stewards held an enquiry into whether or not there had been interference from the winner towards the runner up. After hearing the evidence presented, while the race result was not changed, Robert Dunne was cautioned for allowing his mount to drift and hang left-handed without correction from himself. This had caused the runner up to run off his true line, and had to be switched to continue his challenge on the leader.

The second of the day was the Betway Novices Handicap Steeplechase, with a full field fo ten runners being led home by Loud As Lions after an enterprising front running ride by David Bass.

A 17/2 chance with the punters, the Tom Symonds trained son of Flemensfirth stayed on well when challenged to score by 4 lengths for owners C & M Baker, K Ibberson and H Pearman.

Loud As Lions went straight to the lead, preceded by Jet Set and Thomas Shelby. Leader was not quite as good as he was over the second, which was the open ditch, as he was over the first, steadying into it and allowing Master Card to join him alongside on landing and heading off to the third.

Loud As Lions had established a 5 length lead going into the back, and jumped economically, which couldn’t be said for chasing debutant Just So Cool, who had been awkward over his first three fences but made a complete hash of the seventh fence, the second open ditch, taking off too early and going right through the top of it. Whilst doing remarkably well to stay aboard and the gelding doing well to keep his hooves, he was pulled up by Aidan Coleman after it, having also lost an iron in the process of blundering.

At the ninth Master Card dived at it and crashed out, jockey Adrian Heskin having no chance of staying aboard. At the eleventh the leader was 10 lengths up with a circuit to go. Thomas Shelby, Midnight Moss and Jet Set started to go after him at this point, the rest of the field starting to struggle.

Coming down the side Midnight Moss and Jet Set moved clear of Thomas Shelby to try and reel in the leader. Despite putting in two good leaps at the final set of fences, the leader also put in accurate jumps and unfortunately for them had flown the nest and was always maintaining the gap at 3-4 lengths over his pursuers. Midnight Moss won the battle for second ahead of Jet Set, who was in turn 15 lengths ahead of Thomas Shelby.

Race three was the Betway Handicap Steeplechase, and was a well earned victory for Rizzardo, who took the 2 and a half mile contest for owner and trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies under amateur Mr Zac Baker.

The 5/1 shot had a string of seconds against his name coming into this contest, but the proverbial bridesmaid finally got his head in front under a confident ride from the jockey aboard, who is only amateur by status, and not by lack of talent.

At flagfall he led the 5/6f Lots Of Luck, jumping well at his fences, most notably at the ditch where he met it with accuracy, while in behind Yorgonnahearmeroar once again not jumping with fluency, and towards the fifth he got a remind from Brendan Powell to pick his ideas up.

It clearly didn’t help him as at the sixth he jumped to his left and collided with Picknick Park, whose rider Adam Wedge briefly lost an iron, and again at the seventh he wasn’t fluent and was shaken up. At the open ditch in front of the stands the favourite Lots Of Luck stumbled on landing and for a stride was snorting mud as he tried to regain his position.

Going over the water jump Picknick Park was losing touch with the field, and Yorgonnahearmeroar was still losing ground due to his worsening jumping, lacking any fluency throughout the race.

Lots Of Luck went into a mild lead having jumped the third last, but upon swinging in Rizzardo has regained the lead, and was full of beans turning in. At 2 out he was careful but neat, and at the last he was 3 lengths up. He was driven out to score by 16 lengths to Lots Of Luck, who petered out on the run in, while Yorgonnahearmeroar came with a wet sail to take third, despite hardly jumping a single fence with any accuracy, and it was one that his jockey reported to the stewards upon coming back into the weighing room.

Race 5 saw the return after 1000 days to a formerly high class novice hurdler in Messire Des Obeaux, but the fairytale victory was not to be as he came home fourth behind the Oliver Sherwood trained Cervaro Mix in the Betway Handicap Hurdle.

The winner, an 8/1 chance on the day, was making a marked improvement in form, having been let down by his jumping on the past two occasions, and took the contest under Gavin Sheehan by just short of two lengths ahead of favourite Tea Clipper.

Cervaro Mix was sent straight into the lead at the first, surpassing Crystal Spirit and Linger over the first flight, while Tea Clipper landed awkwardly. The leader poached a 7 length lead upon leaving the back straight, setting a decent pace.

Upon passing the stands Crystal Spirit had dropped to the rear and battered the last flight on the circuit, while Virgilio had dropped off the back by 4 lengths. Upon swinging out of the back straight again Settie Hill, Tea Clipper, Didtheyleaveuoutto and Messire Des Obeaux were chasing the leader, the rest coming off the bridle and struggling to keep tabs.

At 3 out Tea Clipper again wasn’t fluent, and Messire Des Obeaux was now on the retreat somewhat as the field swung in to two out. Settie Hill and Tea Clipper were the only challengers left to the leader Cervaro Mix, whose jumping continued to stand the test. That was until the last, where he somewhat blundered, fiddled and stretched all at the same time, but got over safely and gamely held off Tea Clipper and Settie Hill to score. Messire Des Obeaux made a pleasing enough return to take fourth, of which he inherited after Didtheyleaveuoutto fell at the last.

Colonial Dream’s performance was questioned by the stewards, and they were informed by Nico De Boinville. The horse’s jockey, and the trainer Nicky Henderson that the track was too tight in their opinion and that he was never travelling.

The “Heed Your Hunch At Betway” Handicap Hurdle was the longest race on the card, and it produced a superb performance from the Jonjo O’Neill trained The Composeur, ridden by his son Jonjo Jr. for owners London Design Group Limited.

The 10/3f had looked a stayer in the making when running in heavy conditions recently, and benefitted from the step up in trip to win by 6 lengths under a confident ride.

Farm The Rock and Stonebrigg Legend went on at flagfall, setting a decent but not a furious pace. No real errors were seen in the first circuit, all jumping and travelling well within themselves, although Eaton Miller. Second to the progressive Ballybreen over fences at Hereford last month, was struggling to keep his position going down the home straight, quickly being ridden along by Ben Poste heading out into the country.

The Composeur was moved up by Jonjo heading into the back straight to take closer order. Miss Mash hit 4 out and flattened the hurdle, but regained their position heading to 3 out. Peter’s Portrait was pulled up prior to it, and swinging around the home turn The Composeur’s motionless jockey was drawing eyes and attention.

Cracker Jak faded at two out, and at the last The Composeur was sent on by his jockey and thrashed Mister Murchan on the run in, powering clear and drawing right away from his opponents. It was so much of a performance that the stewards interviewed the trainer to consider the improvement in form, having been beaten over 35 lengths each time on both his previous starts. The reasoning from the trainer was that he had benefitted from the longer trip and quicker surface, and who’s to say he won’t continue improving over this sort of a trip?

The final race of the day was the Betway EBF Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race, and was taken in great style by Coquelicot for trainer Anthony Honeyball under conditional jockey Rex Dingle for owners Geegeez.co.uk PA.

Having tracked the leaders most of the way round, the Soldier Of Fortune filly quickly scooted away from the field with three furlongs to run, eventually scoring by 4 lengths from Ucanaver and Allavina.