by The sequence of three Grade One races at Kempton on Boxing Day has rarely, if ever, seen a combination of high quality and heightened drama to match the action that unfolded over the course of just over an hour here on Tuesday. , and the King George VI Chase won by Hewick was, appropriately, the most exciting of all.
From the first stride, when the quirky Shishkin jumped with the rest, to the final rumbling echoes of trainer Shark Hanlon’s celebrations in the winners’ enclosure, this was a race and an experience that few in the crowd of just under 12,000 people can live. I will ever forget it.
Related: King George VI chase: Hewick wins after Shishkin slips, as it happened
The first gasps rose from the stands at the start of the first circuit when Frodon and Bryony Frost, the winners three years ago, flew several hurdles behind from just inside the wings. Shishkin and Nico de Boinville then joined them for much of the next mile and a half, matching strides and jumps until Frodon began to tire with about a mile to go.
Shishkin was still out front as they headed home with three to jump and the buzz from the stands began to grow into a roar. Allaho, the favorite, and Bravemansgame, were chasing him closely and the “big three” in the betting seemed to be clear and preparing to reach the finish line. Meanwhile, Hewick was the last of the six runners, off the mark and seemingly going nowhere fast, to the point that, having started at 12-1, he was matched at 549-1 in the race at Betfair.
The next turn came at the penultimate one, where Shishkin jumped well, only to stumble two strides later and knock his rider off his feet, impeding Bravemansgame as he did so. The race, it seemed, was now Allaho’s to lose. But the green colors of Hewick and Gavin Sheehan, who had at least half a dozen bodies to find in the penultimate, suddenly pounced on the leaders.
Hewick was still at least two lengths down at the last moment, with only a short roll ahead, but he was finishing so well – or, perhaps, the horses ahead stopping so quickly – that he passed with half a lead. -Dozen strides to spare. Sheehan even had time to pull out what he described as a “Mikael Barzalona” celebration, recalling the French rider’s delight riding Pour Moi in the 2011 Derby.
That was just a hint of what was to come in the winners’ enclosure, as the unmistakable figure of John “Shark” Hanlon prepared to welcome back a horse he originally bought for £800, having dispatched the strongest contenders. imagined from some of the largest stables in the game.
Some of the language was as colorful as the coach’s, but Hanlon’s overall mood could be summed up by his shout to the crowd that “we’re not going to be here long, so we’re going to have a damn good time.” He also insists that while the Grand National at Aintree is probably the ideal target for Hewick, there is no way for him to turn away from the Cheltenham Gold Cup having won a King George.
“Coming out of the back, I said we’re still going to be in the top three,” Hanlon said. “He is a small horse but he has a lot of heart.
“When you are here [after the King George] you have to go for a Gold Cup and Cheltenham will suit this horse much better as it is three and a quarter miles more difficult. There were a lot of other horses that had problems, and we came here fresh and we had a great man on board, and that was it.
“I never thought I should be 12-1 today. It doesn’t usually happen like that when you buy an £800 horse. [but] “He is as tough a horse as you will find in England or Ireland.”
Sheehan admitted that in any other race, he would have been tempted to stop Hewick with one circuit left, but realized that, as he left behind, his horse still had much more to give.
“I jumped two and I thought, this is not happening,” the jockey said, “and the further I went, the more I thought it’s not happening.
“I never felt comfortable, I never acquired fluency nor did I think I was going to achieve it. But he still kept up his talk, and when I gave him two reminders, I began to feel a shift in gear and a new horse under me.
“When Nico fell I thought I was going to be third, happy days. And until the end, I thought that the boys [in front] They’re gone, it was a brilliant feeling.
“Words can’t describe it, because you don’t go and suddenly you’re up against classy horses like that, going to the last like a new horse. “To do that was just huge.”
Hill continues to climb to the top
A champion of the present and a potential champion of the future put on memorable displays on the preliminary card here Tuesday, when Constitution Hill, the greatest hurdler in training and quite possibly the greatest of all time, extended his undefeated career record to eight races. in the Christmas Hurdle, 35 minutes after Il Est Francais had gone all the way to win the Kauto Star Novice Chase.
Constitution Hill’s victory was never in doubt, but the 1-12 favorite looked, if anything, more impregnable than ever as he cleared the final two hurdles with astonishing ease. He was almost 10 lengths clear at the line and will have one more race, at most, before lining up for his second Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.
“I haven’t seen anyone jump better and the big secret of all these good two-mile runners… is the way they come from aab,” Constitution Hill coach Nicky Henderson said.
“We want to win the Champion Hurdle again. I’d be very surprised if we didn’t. [try to win multiple Champion Hurdles].”
Il Est Francais’ performance earlier on the card recalled the days when French-trained hunters, including The Fellow, First Gold and Jair Du Cochet, were regular winners at this meeting.
There was just one mistake in an otherwise flawless round of jumping that left favorite Hermes Allen reeling in his wake.
“The dream this season is to win the French Gold Cup [in late May]”said Noel George, who coaches Il Est Francais near Chantilly in collaboration with Amanda Zetterholm. “So a King George here next year is very much what we would be thinking about, but if he would go to Cheltenham [this season]we would have to see.
“I thought James [Reveley, his jockey] He was going too fast, but he was in his comfort zone.”
Autonomous cloud can achieve nationwide success
Plenty of rain is forecast for Chepstow ahead of the Welsh Grand National meeting on Wednesday, but with the ground described as good to soft overnight, it looks unlikely to be as mudbath as it is. is usually the case.
That could favor a classy and improving young horse against the veterans and fighters, in Fergal O’Brien. Autonomous cloud (2.50) possibly the hunters’ choice of the second season.
He is very close to Jonjo O’Neill’s Iron Bridge in form when he was first and second at Uttoxeter in March, but Autonomo Cloud has made a more promising start this season and his ability to continue to find more when needed could prove invaluable during the marathon trip on Wednesday. .
Chepstow 1.05 First flow He was just 4lb behind the very promising Boothill, a runner at Kempton later this afternoon, when he returned to action at Ascot last month and looks sure to appreciate this return to two and a half miles.
Wetherby 11.50 The Same 12.25 Abbeyhill 1.00 Gazette Bourgeoise 1.35 Banteer 2.15 Kabral Du Mathan 2.45 Cornerstone Lad 3.20 The Northernlight
Chepstow 12.00 Minella Blueway 12.30 Imperial Saint 1.05 First Flow 1.40 Classic Concorde (nb) 2.10 Burdett Road 2.50 Autonomous Cloud (nap) 3.25 Showbusiness 3.55 Rocking Man
Kempton 12.45 Brookie 1.20 Sir Gino 1.55 Nickle Back 2.30 Boothill 3.09 Hidden Heroics 3.40 Lassue
Wolverhampton 5.00 Bomb Squad 5.30 One Last Hug 6.00 Completely Random 6.30 Queensland Boy 7.00 Lady of Spain 7.30 Ice Shadow 8.00 Secret Sauce 8.30 Qatar
Chepstow 1.40 A 6-pound increase in weights may not be enough to prevent prolific classical concord after his victory in Ffos Las last month. That was his fourth success in five starts and Connor Brace had more on his hands than the margin of just under four lengths might suggest.
Kempton Park 1.55 Nickel back has made an excellent start to his hunting career and the form of his six-and-a-half-length second-place finish behind Hermes Allen last time out was reversed when the winner ran an excellent race in the Grade One here on Tuesday.
Chepstow 2.10 Burdett Highway He was useful on the flat and was a class above his rivals at Cheltenham last time out. That was enough to make him favorite for the Triumph Hurdle in March and should underline his Grade One potential here.
Kempton 2.30 The first edition of this limited handicap race could well follow the path of Harry Fry. boot hill, who is up just 3lb in grades for the latest of his two wins in closely contested Ascot handicaps so far this season.
Kempton 3.09 Hidden Heroics It took a while to find his form this year but Dan Skelton’s gelding ran his best race of the season to win at Ludlow last time and is more than capable of chasing a 2lb higher mark.
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Kempton 3.40 Fergal O’Brien’s Lassue He has returned from an 18-month layoff in impressive form and was last beaten by less than a length when third in a useful contest at Ascot. He clearly gets on well with the handy conditioner Jack Hogan and his 3lb claim is an added bonus.
