It will be a major shock if Gordon Elliott does not win the Bar One Racing Troytown Handicap Chase at Navan on Sunday, as he fields 15 of the 21 remaining runners.
Elliott is gunning for a sixth win since 2014 in what is traditionally one of the hottest handicap chases of the season in Ireland.
The Cullentra handler makes no secret of the fact he loves winning the feature race at his local track, and this year he is going all out.
Elliott will have to be at his diplomatic best with six different sets of owners to keep happy and he might do well to spare a thought for the commentator, with Gigginstown House Stud fielding nine runners – following the defection of Noel Meade’s Idas Boy.
Stable jockey Jack Kennedy has chosen to ride 2021 winner Run Wild Fred, with Sam Ewing on Hollow Games and Ricky Doyle on Gevrey looking three of his stronger chances.
The only other trainers involved are Meade with Thedevilscoachman, Henry de Bromhead with Ain’t That A Shame, Watch House Cross and Largy Debut, Colm Murphy with Macs Charm and Gavin Cromwell, who is represented by Limerick Lace.
“It’s a competitive race and we have lots of chances, so hopefully one hits the board,” said Elliott.
“It’s a 100,000 euros race and it’s a big staying race.
“You would have to say Hollow Games and Run Wild Fred look the best two and Dunboyne would have a chance.
“Hopefully, one of them will hit the board.”
Royal Ascot winner Burdett Road laid down an early marker for the Triumph Hurdle when winning the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle in eyecatching fashion.
Now with fledgling handler James Owen, having spent his days on the level with Michael Bell, who guided him to success in the Golden Gates Stakes over 10 furlongs back in June, he went on to run with credit in a couple of Group Threes.
Sent to Owen for a hurdling campaign, like all owned by the Gredley Family, he had no trouble in opening his account at Huntingdon but faced a completely different level of competition at Cheltenham.
Up against six other previous winners and Milan Tino, who brought good form from France, plenty of questions were going to be asked and Burdett Road answered them all emphatically.
Sent off a 9-4 chance, he was ridden incredibly confidently by Harry Cobden, who managed to avoid the carnage created at the first flight by Parish Star.
When An Bradan Feasa slipped the field turning in, he had everything else off the bridle but Cobden sat motionless before asking for an effort approaching the last.
Despite not meeting that on a good stride, he had so much left he was able to quicken up smartly, going up the hill to win by six and a half lengths.
“When he won at Huntingdon, he was keen and did everything the wrong way,” said Owen.
“We had to do one of two things today, either make the running or drop him in and we all decided we would drop him in and Harry has given him a lovely, cool ride. He will have learned a lot on the way round.
“With the rain coming last night, I was so nervous this morning, but for a Flat horse he is tough and God, didn’t he come up that hill well.
“He is a very tough horse and exciting going forward, this was a Triumph trial and that is our aim. On good ground, he is going to be exciting. He may go to Chepstow or the Adonis.
“He is the one we are waking up for every morning and looking forward to seeing him again.”
Cobden said: “James gave me a free hand and we made the decision to drop him in as he was too free at Huntingdon and if he is going to be a good horse then he is going to need to learn how to race properly. He’s a very classy horse isn’t he.
“He missed a few hurdles on the way round and could easily have got keen. I was just trying to put him into the bottom of them so I didn’t light him up with a good jump.
“He’s obviously a good horse and March is very much agenda now.
“I was still on the bridle (coming down the hill) and I suppose that is what it’s like if you are Paul Townend!
“It was really nice and he’s a proper little horse, he winged the second last and had a dream run though. You can go for gaps that possibly aren’t really there on a horse that isn’t travelling quite so well and when I pushed the button turning in he jumped the last and quickened up nicely.
“Paul (Nicholls) has a few nice juveniles but none probably as good as that.”
Nicaragua will contest League A in the next edition of the Concacaf Nations League, as they sealed promotion with a 4-0 beating of Barbados in Group B of League B on Friday.
A Montserrat victory over Dominican Republic allowed Nicaragua to secure their ascent on the penultimate matchday, while the defeat for Barbados confirmed their relegation to League C for the next Nations League edition.
Over in Group C, Bermuda jumped into first place with a victory against St Vincent and the Grenadines, while Belize climbed out of the relegation spot with a goal on the last play of the match, leaving all to be decided on the final matchday.
Montserrat vs. Dominican Republic
Montserrat took a 2-1 victory at home to Dominican Republic at the Blakes Estate Stadium in Plymouth.
Montserrat’s Brandon Barzey opened the scoring in the 37th minute, with a header at the far post. Kaleem Strawbridge was influential in the build-up, as he played off a give-and-go before crossing the ball across the box.
Heinz Morschel of the Dominican Republic went close with a shot from a distance in 40th, but Corrin Brooks, in goal for Nicaragua, proved equal to the task.
Strawbridge extended Nicaragua's lead in the 57th with a curling attempt from edge of the box that kissed the left upright on its way in.
Edarlyn Reyes pulled one back for the visitors in the 75th with a power strike inside the box. Jean Lopez provided the service to the left post for Reyes to control and finish with aplomb.
Dominic Richmond nearly got a third for Montserrat in the 85th, but the substitute’s strike went just outside of the left post.
Barbados vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua earned a 4-0 win over Barbados at the Wildey Turf Stadium in Wildey, Barbados to win Group B and clinch promotion to League A.
The visitors were awarded a penalty kick after Bancy Hernandez was taken down inside the box. Junior Arteaga buried the 22nd-minute 12-yard kick to put Nicaragua in front.
Nextaly Rodríguez extended the lead in the 43rd with a long-range hit from right field that found the left netting.
Luis Coronel added his name to the scoresheet in the 55th, with a hit on the volley from outside the box. Henry Nino supplied the assist from deep in midfield.
Jacob Montes added a fourth in the 59th, after protecting a through ball and seeing it into the box and past goalkeeper Liam Brathwaite.
Tajio James almost had a consolation for Barbados in the 80th, but Nicaragua's goalkeeper Cesar Salandia blocked the attempt with his right leg to deflect it over goal, preserving his clean sheet.
Bermuda vs. St Vincent and the Grenadines
Bermuda won 3-1 over St Vincent and the Grenadines at the Dame Flora Duffy National Sports Centre in Devonshire Parish, Bermuda.
With the win, Bermuda assumed pole position in Group C by a point over French Guiana.
An elaborate build up from the home team led to a Ne-Jai Tucker strike inside the box in the fifth minute to grab the early ascendancy.
Djair Parfitt was denied by the left post in the 16th, as the hosts almost doubled the lead during a rainy stretch.
Bermuda's goalkeeper Dale Eve kept the score intact with a strip in 26th, to deny Cornelius Stewart.
Nazir McBurnette put St Vincent and Grenadines back on level terms with a 34th-minute strike from midfield that took a deflection and curled to the right, leaving Eve no chance at a save.
But Kane Crichlow regained the lead for the hosts in the 44th, by pouncing on a second chance strike after a block from goalkeeper Lemus Christopher.
Eve then made a crucial save during the only minute of first half stoppage time to deny a Kyle Edwards from crossing the goal line.
Parfitt scored what would be an insurance goal in the 50th with a strike to the right corner of goal, completing the 3-1 scoreline.
Belize vs. French Guiana
Belize took a dramatic 1-0 victory French Guiana at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan.
French Guiana’s Arnold Abelinti had eyes for the opening goal early with a header inside the box in the second minute but was denied by Belize's goalkeeper Charles Tillett.
Abelinti had an opportunity inside the box in the ninth but could not get the power behind it to open the scoring.
One of the better opportunities for the hosts came as Eldon Reneau tried to find Gilroy Thurton at the far post in the 20th on a long free kick attempt.
Tillett had a busy first half with a key save in the 35th on a Thomas Nemouthe powerful strike from distance.
Nemouthe then had a shot towards goal in the 52nd, as French Guiana continued to apply pressure.
French Guiana's custodian Donovan Leon cut off a cross towards from Norman Anderson into the box in the 77th to keep the score line even, as Horace Avila was prowling inside the penalty area.
A corner kick provided the opportunity for the game-winner in the 90+6, as Eugene Martinez headed the ball in to take the full three points for Belize.
Denis O’Regan, who recently completed the full set of riding a winner at all UK and Irish National Hunt tracks, announced his retirement at Navan on Saturday.
A multiple Grade One-winning rider, he perhaps will be best remembered for his successful if relatively brief link-up with trainer Howard Johnson and owner Graham Wylie in the north of England.
During their association, O’Regan won the 2008 World (now Stayers’) Hurdle on Inglis Drever and in the same week landed the Arkle on Tidal Bay.
He won a Becher Chase at Aintree on the Dessie Hughes-trained Black Apalachi, who went on to be second to Don’t Push It in the 2010 Grand National won by Tony McCoy.
Cape Tribulation won at both the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals in 2012 for O’Regan and Malcolm Jefferson, and a year later the same horse won the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham.
O’Regan also won a Fighting Fifth on Countrywide Flame, a Finale Hurdle on Ruacana and a Galway Hurdle on Quick Jack.
Having learned the ropes at Noel Meade’s yard as understudy to Paul Carberry, it is no surprise O’Regan was renowned for his quiet style in the saddle and in recent years had been used by Gordon Elliott.
His recent victory at Hereford, the only course to have previously eluded him, came for trainer Cian Collins on Fiveonefive, so it was fitting he brought the curtain down on his career on Collins’ Solly Attwell, who finished unplaced.
O’Regan said: “I’m delighted with the decision. It was a huge effort to get back for Hereford after such a long stint off and I’m 41 and have had a fair few falls.
“It was not simple now to come to the decision but I went to Gowran last Saturday and I knew then after that. I knew going home that was it and I had to stop now.
“You need goals and when Hereford was done, it’s hard to find another one – unless you’ve got a good horse, and I don’t have six or seven Grade One horses, so I thought it was a good time.
“It’s the local track for me here, I’ve been very lucky here, my wife and my kids are here, there’s a lot of support and I wanted to go out on one of Cian’s. It didn’t have to be a winner and I’m delighted with that.”
The Emerging Ireland Team produced an excellent display with the ball to hand the West Indies Academy a 26-run loss in the opening game of their three-match 50-Over series at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua on Friday.
The Irish were first bowled out for 245 in 49.1 overs after winning the toss and batting first.
Opener Murray Commins batted beautifully to finish 118* off 129 balls to lead Emerging Ireland. His knock included 14 fours and a six.
Most of the other established batsmen in the side didn’t manage to do much damage before Tom Mayes, batting at number 10, was able to hit a 46-ball 51 including a pair of fours and three sixes.
Joshua Bishop led the way with the ball for the West Indies Academy with 4-45 from his 10 overs of left-arm spin while Kevin Wickham and Johann Layne took two wickets, each.
The Academy chase started well, with them reaching 117-1 in 20 overs before a collapse followed.
The hosts went from 117-1 to 152-6 in the space of just seven overs before eventually being bowled out for 219 in 41.4 overs.
Openers Matthew Nandu (59) and Kadeem Alleyne (42) were the main scorers for the Academy while Junior Sinclair (35) and Leonardo Julien (28) also scored well.
Off-spinner Scott MacBeth and leg-spinner Gavin Hoey were the main wicket-takers for Emerging Ireland with 3-33 from nine overs and 3-43 from 10 overs, respectively.
The second 50-Over game is scheduled for Sunday at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
Final Scores
Emerging Ireland 245 off 49.1 overs (Murray Commins 118*, Tom Mayes 51, Gavin Hoey 25, Joshua Bishop 4-45, Kevin Wickham 2-50, Johann Layne 2-52)
West Indies Academy 219 off 41.4 overs (Matthew Nandu 59, Kadeem Alleyne 42, Junior Sinclair 35, Leonardo Julien 28, Scott MacBeth 3-33, Gavin Hoey 3-43)
Talented Trinidad and Tobago sprint twins Sanaa and Sole Frederick are headed to the University of Georgia in the coming academic year, the Athens-based NCAA Division 1 university announced on Friday.
Though Trinidadian the girls live in the United States and attend the Druid Hills High School in Atlanta, Georgia.
Both 17-year-old girls run the 100m and 200m. Sanaa, who has a personal best of 11.33 in the 100m, finished third in the event at the 2023 Carifta Games in the Bahamas in April, running a time of 11.65. She went two places better in the 200m which she won in 23.60.
She and Sole were members of the T&T 4x100m relay team that won the silver medal at the Games.
She followed up that performance with a bronze medal run at the Youth Commonwealth Games in Trinidad and Tobago in August, clocking 11.48.
No slouch herself, Sole has personal best times of 11.60 for the 100m and 23.41 for the 200m.
In May, the sisters along with Southwest DeKalb High School twin brothers Isaiah Taylor and Xzaviah Taylor combined for 13 of the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) 46 medals at the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) State Track Championships.
Minella Missile dented some lofty reputations in the Trustatrader Novices’ Hurdle for Evan Williams at Cheltenham.
The point-to-point winner had caused a 20-1 shock when scoring on his hurdling debut from a Paul Nicholls-trained favourite at Chepstow and he repeated the feat here – but this time at Grade Two level at an even bigger price.
Sent off a 22-1 chance the five-year-old looked up against with Nicholls’ Captain Teague and several Irish-trained runners appearing to hold stronger claims. However, Adam Wedge moved within his comfort zone for much of the race, despite sitting well off the pace.
Harry Cobden had Captain Teague close to Kinbara up front, but did put in a couple of noticeably novicey leaps.
He was still in the box seat turning for home, but The Big Doyen had tracked him while Wedge charted the inside route on Minella Missile.
All three had a chance on jumping the last, and it was the Williams runner who found most to win by a length and a half from the 4-6 favourite with The Big Doyen a further half-length away.
“He’s just one of them you know, he quickens and is very laid back,” said Williams
“You can drop him in and I love a horse you can drop in and then quickens. There’s not many of them that get there in two strides and he can do that.
“It’s the trainer why he is the price he is, nothing to do with the horse. It’s the trainer, not the horse.
“Talk is talk and it’s November. The men in March don’t talk they just turn up don’t they. We’re under no illusions and he has won his good race. He’s a brother to a horse who I think is a good horse in Monbeg Genius and his future will be over fences somewhere down the line.
“I just think in these novice hurdles, a step up in trip wouldn’t be a problem and he quickens.”
Minella Missile provided a poignant 100th winner for owner Janet Davies, who has endured a difficult time following the death of her husband, Peter, and the winning trainer was thrilled to give his loyal owner with a day to remember.
“That’s racing, it pulls in the emotions of life which are important to the very trivial pursuit of going faster than another horse round a grassy field,” continued Williams.
“It is her 100th winner and she has been very successful, had a lot of winners and some very nice horses. But, as often happens with racing, it sometimes just gives back that little bit of a fairytale.
“I’m blessed with the owners I train for. I’m a dinosaur and I train for some very old-fashioned owners and it makes my life very easy. But sometimes that cross-over between real life and racing is fantastic. Isn’t it crazy how the cards fall sometimes.”
On future plans, he went on: “He handles this place which is an undulating track and sometimes you can get dragged into doing things for the sake of doing things.
“Lets be brutal about it, the second horse carried a penalty and we have only won a length and a half. So we have a bit to find to go and win a Grade One.
“He’s the type of horse who might be able to step up to that, but as far as I’m concerned, in his life as a novice hurdler he has won a good race and what happens now as a novice hurdler is almost irrelevant.
“Today is Janet’s day and that’s what makes it special to me. It’s a special day for Janet.”
Davies said: “How amazing was that. We won last (here) with Court Minstrel and I never thought we would have another like that.
“Evan said when he won at Chepstow, ‘you have a nice horse’. But I didn’t think he would be that nice.
“I was trying to keep my cool, as this time last year I lost my husband suddenly in his sleep. It’s been a difficult year, but that was amazing.”
Jamaica’s Tonyan Beckford will be attending the University of Kentucky next fall.
The talented Edwin Allen and Jamaica 400m hurdler, who boasts personal bests of 57.14 in the 400m hurdles and 52.88 over 400m, has signed a letter of intent to join the programme that already has former Hydel High star athlete Oneika McAnuff on its roster.
The NCAA Division 1 track and field powerhouse announced the signing on their Instagram account on Thursday.
Already a national representative at the junior level, Beckford is a 2023 Carifta Games 400m hurdles silver medalist and was also a member of Jamaica’s 4x400m relay team that won the silver medal at the U20 Pan Am Games in August.
The University of Kentucky has produced some of the world’s best athletes including two-time World Championship gold medalist Abby Steiner of the United States and Olympic and world champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico.
Mouse Morris made another successful raid to Britain as Foxy Jacks claimed the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on Friday.
Morris has already struck on British shores this term with Gentlemansgame in the Charlie Hall, and his nine-year-old produced a superb round of jumping in the hands of Gavin Brouder to hold off Dan Skelton’s Latenightpass in a thrilling finish.
The trainer is of course no stranger to success at Prestbury Park, but was delighted with his charge who provided him with his first winner at the track since First Lieutenant struck at the Festival in 2011.
“It was very tenacious, he’s not simple but got a great ride, he jumped super,” said Morris of the 9-1 scorer.
“I thought he was in great shape coming here, but there are 30 fences to jump and jumping is not what he is noted for. These sort of races change his mind a little.
“It was his first time over the banks and I couldn’t be happier. There are a lot of days he hasn’t delivered which makes these days good.
“He has been running well this year, he won the Midlands National and was third in the Kerry National, so something has happened to him.
“I don’t think weight matters to this fella, it is just getting him on his day. He belongs to great people who love the craic and we will go where we can have some fun.”
Gordon Elliott’s pair of Delta Work and Galvin fought out the finish of the cross country at the Cheltenham Festival in the spring but finished down the field in their return to action.
Both have a return in March on the agenda, but Elliott is keen to see how Delta Work (sixth) comes out of the contest having failed to sparkle in the second half of the contest.
“Keith (Donoghue) actually said for the second half of the race he never jumped which he usually does and he was a bit sore pulling up. So we will have to see how he is,” said Elliott.
“Cheltenham is the plan in March, but once he’s OK in the morning that is all that matters. You can see in the second half of the race he never jumped like he can.
“In fairness we were happy with the run, if we got beat today we wouldn’t have been disappointed but he never jumped for the second half of the race, he just wasn’t right.
“Galvin (eighth) ran very well, he just hated the ground and we’re very happy. March is the plan and it will probably be one run over hurdles and that is it.”
The Injured Jockeys Fund has provided a further update on Graham Lee, in which he is described as having made “positive progress”.
The Grand National and Ascot Gold Cup-winning rider remains in Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle after a serious fall last week, when unseated from Ben Macdui at the start of an all-weather handicap on Friday.
He suffered an unstable cervical fracture causing damage to his spinal cord and has undergone two procedures to stabilise the fractures and further protect his spinal cord.
The IJF update, circulated on Friday afternoon, read: “Graham has made positive progress in the last 24 hours and has been able to talk normally with his family for short periods when his ventilator is turned down.
“He has been reviewed by his spinal consultant and when a bed becomes available in the ITU at James Cook Hospital, Middlesborough, he will be transferred closer to home.
“Graham and his family want to thank everyone for their continued and overwhelming support.”
Two Cheltenham Festival winners and a host of placed horses from the big meeting in March make this year’s Paddy Power Gold Cup one not to be missed.
Stage Star and The Real Whacker took the Turners Novices’ Chase and Brown Advisory respectively at the showpiece fixture, and both have featured heavily in the ante-post market on this historic handicap.
The former disappointed when last of five at Aintree after Cheltenham, but Paul Nicholls is not losing sleep over that ahead of the weekend.
“You can put a line through his last start at Aintree, which was one race too many after a busy campaign,” the champion trainer told Betfair.
“The Paddy Power has been the target for him since the summer and there are plenty of positives, as he is brilliant fresh, having won first time out for the last three seasons.
“He also likes racing left-handed, will not mind how soft the ground gets and we know he handles Cheltenham.
“Yes, he does have a lot of weight because he is rated on what he achieved last year but it helps that the top one (The Real Whacker) runs, which means Stage Star is on a nice racing weight of 11st 7lb.”
Trained by Patrick Neville, The Real Whacker is a perfect three from three over fences – with all of those runs coming at Cheltenham.
Unsurprisingly, the Gold Cup is his big target and it is also not a shock connections have opted to start his season here, even with his welter burden of 12st.
“Two and a half (miles) is a lovely starting point for him. He won over two and a half in January in the Dipper,” said North Yorkshire-based Neville.
“We’ll just go our own gallop and if anything wants to take him on or go a cutthroat gallop, then we’ll let them on, as he doesn’t have to make the running.
“When he ran in Doncaster, we dropped him out stone last, so if something else wanted to make the running, it might even help carry him into it a bit, but we’ll see.
“Hopefully, he’ll run his race and come back sound and we’ll move on to the next day.”
Dan Skelton saddles Unexpected Party – fifth in the Turners and a Listed winner on his return at Chepstow last month, form subsequently boosted by runner-up Knappers Hill.
Skelton said: “Unexpected Party beat Knappers Hill, who came out and won easy at Wincanton, which he was entitled to do, being honest. I expected Knappers Hill to win that, so I don’t think it improves our chance.
“What it did do was offer comfort that I was as confident with Unexpected Party on Friday night as I was on Saturday night. He’s got the right profile for the race, but we thought that before seeing what Knappers Hill came out and did.
“He ran in the Turners at the Cheltenham Festival and he has turned up on some big days. The preliminaries before the race won’t get to him and that is a big part of it.
“He is a good traveller and a slick jumper, and I don’t want to put the mockers on him with a comment like that, but that is what he is good at, and that is what you need for a race like this.”
Another runner for Nicholls is last year’s fourth Il Ridoto, who also has winning form at the Prestbury Park circuit.
The Ditcheat handler said: “He ran a series of solid races last season carrying big weights and finally got his reward with a fluent victory at this track in January, then didn’t take to the National fences at Aintree (in the Topham).
“He is 6lb higher now so it’s a bonus that Freddie Gingell’s claim takes off a handy 5lb. Il Ridoto is a year older, more mature and should be knocking on the door again.”
Sam Thomas has enjoyed a good start to the new season and he sends out Angels Breath, who showed his well-being with a solid second over hurdles here last month.
“We were thrilled with him last time and it is sort of now or never really. He’s a nine-year-old in good form, so we thought we would take our chance,” Thomas said.
“It’s a very competitive race, but we’re lucky to have such a lovely horse and fingers crossed he puts in a good performance and comes back safe and sound.”
Also prominent in the market is the Lauran Morgan-trained Notlongtillmay, second only to Stage Star in the Turners in March.
“This was the aim, we’re 3lb better off with Stage Star and Stage Star isn’t going to get an easy lead like he did in the Turners – there’s going to be a lot of pace in this on Saturday,” Morgan said.
“With The Real Whacker running, our lad goes in there with a nice racing weight (11st 4lb) and he’ll go through the (soft) ground, that wouldn’t worry me at all.”
Like Nicholls, Morgan has a second-string to her bow in the shape of Whistleinthedark.
She added: “I’m not too fussed about not getting a run in, as he’s done a lot of work at home. We’ve got a two-mile grass gallop and he’s fairly ready without having had that run to sharpen him – he’s not far away.”
Homme Public ensured Henry Brooke could celebrate his first ever victory at Cheltenham in the SSS Super Alloys Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase but he was fortunate to do so.
The favourite JPR One looked to have done everything right the whole way round as Brendan Powell set a scorching gallop.
Coming down the hill before the turn for home, it possibly looked like he had gone too fast as the three other runners all closed up, including Homme Public.
However, Powell had saved plenty on Joe Tizzard’s six-year-old and no sooner had he given the others a sniff had he shot clear again and seemingly put the race to bed.
He cleared the second last in style and with just one fence left to negotiate, it appeared the UK had a rock-solid contender for Arkle glory but, as many before him have found, the last at Cheltenham takes some jumping and he landed too steeply, giving Powell no chance.
Suddenly Homme Public, having looked booked for second, was left in front and while Petit Tonnerre gave him a fright, he won by two lengths.
Homme Public is trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, who have made a fantastic start to the season and won the Grand Sefton last weekend with Gesskille.
There was a fitting start to Cheltenham’s November Meeting when David Pipe’s American Sniper landed the opening Lycetts Insurance Brokers Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.
The Pipes have been synonymous with success at this meeting down the years and although Pond House may be lacking the stars of old, they showed they can still land a punch on the big occasion as American Sniper (16-1) led home a one-three for the Somerset team, with stablemate Paricolor picking up the bronze medal.
It was Pipe’s fourth win in the race since 2014 and first at the track since the spring of 2022 with a first-time tongue-tie working the oracle on his winning five-year-old, who was never involved over three miles at the track last month.
“We probably haven’t got as many as we used to, but we fancied both of them and they finished first and third,” said Pipe.
“On their best bits of form they had chances. We’ll enjoy today.
“We put a tongue-tie on him for the first time which probably helped and he likes a bit better ground, so obviously first race of the meeting it obviously helped.”
Brendan Powell delivered Triple Trade (100-30 favourite) with perfection as Joe Tizzard’s seven-year-old hunted down Dan Skelton’s Calico late in the day to go one better than his running on second here in October.
“I thought it was a lovely race for him today and Brendan gave him a peach,” said the winning trainer.
“He was always going to play him late-ish and he didn’t get into him until the last and won nicely. It was a proper performance.
“The horse deserved to win off his last form and he’s improving all the time. He’s been sharper since that last run, a lot of my horses were needing the run three weeks ago and I expected a big performance and it came off.
“He’s one of the cheapest horses we’ve ever bought, he cost £12,000 I think it was, so he was cheap and three good lads own him. Dad said he was a Gold Cup horse when he bought him but couldn’t get him on the track for 18 months.”
Triple Trade could now be tasked with replicating Amarillo Sky’s Newbury victory in the Coral Get Closer To The Action Handicap Chase on December 2.
“I would be half-tempted to take him to Newbury at the end of the month,” added Tizzard.
“There is that nice handicap at the end of the Saturday that we won with Amarillo Sky.
“We will see how he comes out of it, but I’m tempted by that and it is in the back of my mind. These two milers, you can run them a bit more frequent.
“We were never dreaming he was an Amarillo Sky, but he’s heading in the right direction isn’t he and I’m really tempted to take him to Newbury if it is nice and soft in a couple of weeks’ time and keep having a lot of fun.”
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