Cheltenham live: Mullins blames jockey error for Benie Des Dieux defeat
Willie Mullins blamed jockey error for the moment that allowed Honeysuckle to make her winning move up the rail and claim the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle at the expense of his odds-on shot Benie De Dieux.
Robbie Power, on board the Mullins-trained Stormy Ireland, left a gap on his inside as they turned for home, which Rachael Blackmore capitalised on to surge to the front on Honeysuckle.
Benie De Dieux, out wide, was unable to bridge the gap under Paul Townend and went down by half a length.
Mullins told Racing TV: “I just think it was miscommunication turning for home. Maybe Robbie thought one of our horses was behind him rather than Honeysuckle. It looked like he just gifted the winner a huge gap while Paul was going on the outside.”
He added: “Things happen. We won’t want to watch it again.”
Johnson confident of Wednesday return
Richard Johnson is confident we will be back to ride at Cheltenham on Wednesday despite having been stood down by the racecourse doctor after he was unseated in the Racing Post Arkle.
The champion jockey, unseated from Brewin’upastorm at the fourth-last, only made his return to race-riding two weeks ago after breaking his arm in January and was replaced aboard No Comment in the Ultima and Gumball in the Champion Hurdle by Aidan Coleman.
However, the rider is optimistic he will be back in action on Wednesday for three rides. He said: “I landed awkwardly and jarred the hip but I’ll be absolutely fine to ride on Wednesday.”
The ground was a hot topic after it was changed to soft, heavy in places not long before the first race, having been soft, good to soft in places overnight, and proved to be every bit as testing in the opening races.
After winning the Supreme aboard Shishkin, Nico de Boinville said: “Down the back it was really hard work, the ground is almost on the heavy side.”
After landing the Racing Post Arkle aboard Put The Kettle On, Aidan Coleman said: “It was hard work, the ground is testing.”
Highlighting the tough conditions, Supreme winner Shishkin clocked a time 17.2 seconds slower than standard, close to ten seconds behind Klassical Dream in the same race last year when the ground was soft. The Arkle was won in a time 16.1 seconds slower than standard, compared to 6.9 last year.
However, those times were not helped after both races started from a standing position after false starts.
There was a further false start in the Champion Hurdle, but in each case the stewards were satisfied that no rider had contravened the starting procedures.
Imperial Aura keeps punters purring with power-packed novice handicap chase win
Imperial Aura went three places better than stablemate Vinndication in the Ultima earlier on the card to put trainer Kim Bailey and jockey David Bass back in the festival winner’s enclosure with an impressive victory in the Northern Trust Company Novices’ Handicap Chase.
The partnership had won the Plate with Darna five festivals ago and Bailey’s hopes were high with Imperial Aura, who carried the colours of the Imperial Commander, the top stayer who beat Denman to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup ten years ago.
Bailey said: “He has always shown he is a nice horse and I knew he would stay having run over three miles here.”
‘The way he picked up was impressive’
Despite 20 runners in this Listed handicap chase, it came down to a duel between the 4-1 joint-favourites as Imperial Aura had only Galvin and a motionless Davy Russell to contend with from the second-last.
The winning rider said: “I had a nice position and couldn’t have been happier as I knew he stays well and I was confident he had improved from the last day.
“The way he picked up and pinged the last two was impressive.”
That finish from the seven-year-old Kalanisi gelding consigned Gordon Elliott and Russell to another result that was so close yet so far after victory had looked to loom.
Shishkin shows heart of a champion to win Supreme against all odds
Abacadabras hits 1-7 in running but loses out in incident-packed festival opener
Anyone can win the easy ones. It’s the times when everything is against you and you still manage to find a way to come out on top that shows you have the real stuff of a champion.
We knew that Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville had it, they have shown it countless times in this most testing of arenas. Now we know that Shishkin has it too.
Things could hardly have conspired more against the inexperienced hurdler, fresh from Listed success at Huntingdon and charged with putting a smile on the face of his trainer and jockey in the Grade 1 festival opener, just a few hours after they had been forced to withdraw the lame Altior from his bid for a third Champion Chase.
Not only had overnight rain made the ground more testing than ideal, he made a mistake at the third flight and lost his place at the top of the hill.
He was also as big as 99-1 in running after coming mighty close to being brought down in the melee two out, where Elixir d’Ainay and Captain Guinness crashed out.
Yet Henderson and De Boinville are rarely men to lay long odds against at Cheltenham.
Shishkin had clocked a closing sectional time at Newbury in January that had the analysts drooling with excitement, and his turn of foot ensured that a handful of online punters ended with burnt fingers.
He quickened in tremendous style to catch Abacadabras – who himself touched 1-7 in running – 100 yards from home and gamely held his renewed challenge by a head. The pair finished 11 lengths clear of the Henderson-trained Chantry House in third.
“I thought that was a super run all things considered,” De Boinville said. “That showed a bit of superstar quality.
“Everything conspired against him today but he managed to find a way and that’s what champions tend to do. They get themselves out of a hole and they get the jockey looking a bit better than they probably should do.”
De Boinville, riding his 11th festival winner, admitted things had been tough in a race he won with Altior for Henderson in 2016.
“Going to the downhill hurdle he had a grab at it and landed on all fours,” he said. “From then on down the back it was really hard work, the ground is almost on the heavy side.
“It was a very rough race going up the hill and round the top there I got shuffled back. I tried to switch him out wide to try and get him travelling, to give him a bit of light and comfort in himself. Then the horse has fallen in front of me and nearly knocked me over. Then it was just a case of picking up the pieces.
“He is so talented this horse. He has tremendous gears and gets you out of an awful lot of trouble. Wherever he goes next season it might be that we’ve found another really good one.”
Altior went on to prove an outstanding two-mile chaser and fences beckon for Shishkin, who received a quote of 7-1 for next year’s Racing Post Arkle Chase from Paddy Power.
Watch Shiskin demonstrate courage and class to land the Supreme
Henderson indicated that switch is likely and said: “Shishkin and Chantry House are two gorgeous horses for the future, there’s a lot to look forward to. They’ve won point-to-points and that’s probably where they’ll go.
“Shishkin has got those gears and he needed them to get out of the trouble he’d got into. It was no fault of Nico’s, he gave him a wonderful ride and he’s done well to get out of it.”
Abacadabras is set to stay over hurdles and trainer Gordon Elliott said: “He ran a great race, and while it is disappointing to lose out, he was only beaten a head. The way the race worked out he was left in front a bit too soon but he jumped great and didn’t do anything wrong.
“Our fellow is a very speedy horse and he could be a Champion Hurdle horse.”
De Bromhead hails ‘special’ display from wonderwomen Honeysuckle and Blackmore
Honeysuckle battled to victory in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle under an impeccably timed ride from Rachael Blackmore, upsetting 4-6 favourite Benie Des Dieux.
Honeysuckle drew clear of Benie Des Dieux rounding the home turn and never looked back, seeing off the 2018 winner and giving trainer Henry de Bromhead his second success of the day.
Blackmore was welcomed back to the largest cheer of the day on her return to the winner’s enclosure, with the adoring crowd paying tribute to a first-class ride.
The jockey positioned Honeysuckle perfectly against the rail in a pivotal moment of the race, forcing Paul Townend and Benie Des Dieux to take a wide line approaching the hill.
Honeysuckle displayed a fruitful combination of class and grit to hold on to her unbeaten record by half a length.
De Bromhead was delighted by an exceptional performance from both horse and jockey.
He said: “Honeysuckle really battled there and threw herself at the last. Whatever about her, the lady on her back is just as special. She was amazing, she had to sit and suffer and then snuck up the rail. She took her opportunity and was gone. The pair of them are brilliant.”
Of her tactical move up the rail, a humble Blackmore said: “I was kind of forcing I suppose, but I knew I had plenty of toe at the back of the last. It’s just brilliant. It’s a big week so I’m delighted.
“Henry has produced her in tip-top shape every day she runs. I’m the lucky one who gets to steer her round. It’s unbelievable.”
fonte : RacingPost
