Captain creates Chaos in Grimthorpe Demolition

Captain Chaos scooped the pot he always threatened to deliver when routing his opposition in the 888Sport Grimthorpe Handicap Steeplechase for trainer Dan Skelton, jockey Harry Skelton and owners Mike & Eileen Newbould.

Sent off at 9/2, he had been without a victory for two years, with a couple of fine efforts thrown in between, and went one better than his Classic Chase second last month with a gutsy, determined performance from up front that left his rivals toiling in his wake.

Captain Chaos and Aaron Lad were the early pace setters upon the commencement of this 3 and a quarter mile contest, with Worthy Farm and Yalltari settled in just behind them. The race had been decimated by non-runners before the off, with 7 of the 11 declared ther previous day going to post. Definitely Red and Saint Xavier both went off to Kelso to contest the Premier Chase, won by the former, while Boldmere and Chidswell both stayed in their boxes due to unsuitable ground.

Over Rose Hill and swinging around the far turn the pace was a steady, not a frenetic, one, which given the conditions was a sensible option. Captain Chaos hit the ditch and hampered his rival for the lead Aaron Lad, with jockey Harry Skelton rousting him into the next, which produced a much better leap.

Straightening up into a stiff headwind all the runners were still standing and going well. With a circuit to go there was hardly any noticeable errors or changes in order. At the water Captain Chaos gave a big leap, while Aaron Lad and Yalltari joined Fortified Bay in producing a slightly sketchy leap, while at the next Worthy Farm wasn’t that fluent. All handled the ditch well, though Ascot De Bruyere was starting to lose a bit of touch off the back of the field as the field went to the top of Rose Hill having handled one circuit.

Captain Chaos had began to up the ante at the twelfth, and that got Worthy Farm to make another error, and heading the other side of the hill he was 4 lengths up. At the thirteenth he gave a great leap, while Fortified Bay made another error and was pulled up by Aidan Coleman, as his rivals went to the last ditch, the fourteenth.

Aaron Lad was being ridden along by Charlie Hammond at this point, having been slow at the previous fence. He got the open ditch wrong and fell, bringing down Ascot De Bruyere in the process. At 5 out another great leap by Captain Chaos put him 5 lengths up on Worthy Farm, who was beginning to tire himself. Yalltari and Cesar Et Rosalie were tailing off at this point, and at 4 out Cesar Et Rosalie was pulled up by jockey Tom Scudamore, who was then bumped into by the riderless Ascot De Bruyere, causing him to be unseated after he had pulled his mount up.

At 3 out Harry Skelton had ridden Captain Chaos to a 10 length gap, while Worthy Farm gave a tired leap at it and his supporters knew that unless his rival up ahead made an error and came down or unseated, they would be fighting for place money only. Worthy Farm was beginning to toil and was slow at 2 out, while now 25 lengths up Captain Chaos was seemingly full of running, being kept up to his work by his jockey.

At the last he was a little sloppy, but he was entitled to be tired as he had been on the front foot all the way round, and made his way up the run in with nobody to challenge him, and sauntered up for a whopping 54 length victory. Worthy Farm made it round in second, whilst Yalltari was the only other finisher in a gruelling contest.