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O`Neill Gifted Another Century
Apr 17: Simply Gifted dug deep to win at Ayr yesterday to complete a double for trainer Jonjo O`Neill and take him to a century for the third successive season.
Apr 17: Simply Gifted dug deep to win at Ayr yesterday to complete a double for trainer Jonjo O'Neill and take him to a century for the third successive season.
The nine-year-old answered all stable jockey Liam Cooper's calls to get the better of Turgeonev by a neck in a thrilling finish to the Hillhouse Quarry Handicap Chase
O'Neill was represented by Robert Bellamy, who said: "Simply Gifted came to us this season, having had some decent form over hurdles when with Tim Easterby.
"The horse has had his share of leg problems, but he won first time for us at Chepstow and then unseated his rider in the Grand Annual Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. He ran well at Aintree last time.
"He has done it well and Liam was brilliant."
However, the stewards decided Cooper had used his whip with excessive frequency and suspended him for three days (April 27-29).
The Jackdaws Castle double was initiated by Feel The Pride, a course and distance winner, who gave weight all round in the Gala Casinos Daily Record Mares' Only Handicap Hurdle.
She struck the front after the second-last and stuck to her task well to hold off Avitta by one and a quarter lengths.
Bellamy went on: "Feel The Pride has had a great season, a busy season, but she just went off the boil in February a little. There did not seem to be any real reason other than that she is a mare and that can happen.
"She had 42 days off before today and when she nearly knocked the box down when being saddled I knew she was in good form and would have a great chance."
Sue Smith's Mister McGoldrick ran on really well to land the Ashleybank Investments Novices' Chase in the hands of Dominic Elsworth.
Mister McGoldrick went to the front at the sixth fence, Venn Ottery having fallen when a clear leader at the fifth, and kept up a relentless gallop to pass the post with one and a quarter lengths to spare over Full Irish.
Alan King's Bourbon Manhattan, successful first time out this season, picked up the winning thread again under Robert Thornton in the Royal Bank Of Scotland 'NH' Novices' Hurdle.
King said: "He won well first time, but then we ran him at Towcester and that pulled the guts out of him and it took us a long time to get him back.
"If we have some decent ground, I will give him a pop over a fence before we turn him out and he will go chasing next season."
Former jockey Tim Reed saddled his second winner under Rules when Lord Edwards Army landed the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards ILPH Hunters' Chase in the hands of amateur Ran Morgan.
Reed said: "Lord Edwards Army had won two bumpers and a hurdle race for Willie Mullins, and when I got him for 6,200gns at Doncaster I thought there must be something wrong as he was so cheap.
"But he is all right and was in fact bought for his owner Guy Willoughby to ride him, but unfortunately he could not today because he broke a collar-bone when the horse fell here a month ago."
Bureau Report
The nine-year-old answered all stable jockey Liam Cooper's calls to get the better of Turgeonev by a neck in a thrilling finish to the Hillhouse Quarry Handicap Chase
O'Neill was represented by Robert Bellamy, who said: "Simply Gifted came to us this season, having had some decent form over hurdles when with Tim Easterby.
"The horse has had his share of leg problems, but he won first time for us at Chepstow and then unseated his rider in the Grand Annual Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. He ran well at Aintree last time.
"He has done it well and Liam was brilliant."
However, the stewards decided Cooper had used his whip with excessive frequency and suspended him for three days (April 27-29).
The Jackdaws Castle double was initiated by Feel The Pride, a course and distance winner, who gave weight all round in the Gala Casinos Daily Record Mares' Only Handicap Hurdle.
She struck the front after the second-last and stuck to her task well to hold off Avitta by one and a quarter lengths.
Bellamy went on: "Feel The Pride has had a great season, a busy season, but she just went off the boil in February a little. There did not seem to be any real reason other than that she is a mare and that can happen.
"She had 42 days off before today and when she nearly knocked the box down when being saddled I knew she was in good form and would have a great chance."
Sue Smith's Mister McGoldrick ran on really well to land the Ashleybank Investments Novices' Chase in the hands of Dominic Elsworth.
Mister McGoldrick went to the front at the sixth fence, Venn Ottery having fallen when a clear leader at the fifth, and kept up a relentless gallop to pass the post with one and a quarter lengths to spare over Full Irish.
Alan King's Bourbon Manhattan, successful first time out this season, picked up the winning thread again under Robert Thornton in the Royal Bank Of Scotland 'NH' Novices' Hurdle.
King said: "He won well first time, but then we ran him at Towcester and that pulled the guts out of him and it took us a long time to get him back.
"If we have some decent ground, I will give him a pop over a fence before we turn him out and he will go chasing next season."
Former jockey Tim Reed saddled his second winner under Rules when Lord Edwards Army landed the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards ILPH Hunters' Chase in the hands of amateur Ran Morgan.
Reed said: "Lord Edwards Army had won two bumpers and a hurdle race for Willie Mullins, and when I got him for 6,200gns at Doncaster I thought there must be something wrong as he was so cheap.
"But he is all right and was in fact bought for his owner Guy Willoughby to ride him, but unfortunately he could not today because he broke a collar-bone when the horse fell here a month ago."
Bureau Report