Sir Alex Ferguson has often seemed to lead a charmed existence on the turf since his retirement from football management and he enjoyed another memorable afternoon on Friday with an international double worth a total of around £500,000 in prize money in the space of just 70 minutes.
First, the novice hurdler Potters Charm carried the former Manchester United manager’s colours to a decisive victory in a Grade Two novice hurdle at Cheltenham’s prestigious November meeting. Ferguson himself, though, was in Bahrain to see his seven-year-old gelding, Spirit Dancer, take the $1m Bahrain International Trophy, with a first prize of £472,441, for the second year running.
Lead Artist, trained in Newmarket by John & Thady Gosden, surged into a clear lead with around two furlongs to run, but Oisin Orr and Spirit Dancer were soon off in pursuit and took over a few strides from the line.
Spirit Dancer, who is stabled with Richard Fahey in north Yorkshire, , added a similarly valuable race in Saudi Arabia to his record after last year’s win in Bahrain, and this latest success takes his career total of prize money won past £2m.
“It’s a fantastic feat, what Richard and the team back home have done, credit to them to getting him back from injury,” Ged Mason, Ferguson’s co-owner, said.
“I’m so happy for this fella [Ferguson], who bred him. Last year it was a bit of a tonic when sadly he lost [his wife] Lady Cathy, who he said rode it last time. I think she rode it again.”
Ferguson heaped praise on Orr’s coolness in timing his run. “I think he needed four lengths to catch the leading horse and he got there,” he said. “It was fantastic, I’m proud of the jockey because he sat motionless, he didn’t panic at all.”
Potters Charm, Ferguson’s winner at Cheltenham, posted the best performance by a novice hurdler in Britain so far this season, as he beat Valgrand, the odds-on favourite, by 11 lengths.
“Today was a performance we have been expecting,” Willy Twiston-Davies, assistant trainer to his father, Nigel, said. “He looks the best of the British novices at this point.
“The faster they go, the better he is. He is a very classy animal [and] we have to work back from the Cheltenham Festival [in March]. The Turners Novice Hurdle [over two-and-a-half miles] will be the aim.”
Even when Nicky Henderson’s stable was at one of its lowest ebbs in the spring of this year, the ever-dependable Jonbon came up with two Grade One wins to send the former champion trainer into the summer with renewed optimism, and the six-year-old delivered once again here on Friday with a comfortable win in the Grade Two Schloer Chase at the start of a crucial few weeks for his yard.
Constitution Hill, the best hurdler of recent decades and perhaps of all time, is due to gallop at Newbury on Tuesday and then put his unbeaten record on the line for the first time since Boxing Day in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on 30 November.
Jonbon, meanwhile, has a date in the Grade One Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown in early December, and will head to the Surrey track with a career record that now stands at 15 wins from 18 starts, with another win in his only point-to-point thrown in for good measure.
“I think his jumping was as good as I’ve seen him, which was great,” Henderson said. “We now have three weeks until the Tingle Creek [and] that would be the perfect prep, I would say. It takes us on where we want to go.”
Leicester 12.40 Release The Kraken 1.10 I Love Paris 1.40 Woodland Park 2.10 Impatient 2.40 Purple Gown 3.10 Northern Reel 3.40 Dominic’s Fault
Plumpton 12.50 Roman Roy 1.20 Matchless 1.50 Menaggio 2.20 Smugglers Haven 2.50 Koenigsstern 3.20 Magical Arthur
Exeter 1.00 Gyenyame 1.30 Florencethemachine 2.00 Kick Up A Storm 2.30 Basilette 3.00 Vaguely Royal 3.30 Getupearly 4.00 Maldini Milano
Southwell 4.15 Solar Army 4.45 Zanzoun 5.15 Kodebreaker 5.45 Available Angel 6.15 Wonder Legend 6.45 The Coffee Pod 7.15 Marcus 7.45 Running Spirit 8.15 Ormolulu
Wolverhampton 4.30 Manara 5.00 Tabby 5.30 Fiorella Princess 6.00 Good Banter 6.30 Rizg (nap) 7.00 Caesars Pearl 7.30 State Flag (nb) 8.00 Lusaka 8.30 Ocean Ridge
Ga can lay down law in Paddy Power
The Paddy Power Gold Cup is generally the most competitive handicap chase in the early months of the winter campaign and the latest renewal at Cheltenham on Saturday has the familiar, fascinating mixture of proven performers in similar events over track and trip, and younger up-and-comers with significant scope for progress.
The likely favourite, Ginny’s Destiny, is arguably the only runner that fits both profiles, and arrives with a very similar profile to last year’s winner, Stage Star, having established a fine Cheltenham record as a novice last season including a two-length second in a Grade One event at the festival meeting in March.
He is also a confirmed front-runner, however, and a price of around 3-1 looks skinny given how difficult it will be to win such a competitive contest when racing up with what is sure to be a white-hot pace throughout.
Another lightly raced contender is Imagine, a new recruit to Harry Derham’s thriving stable, but he has not run over fences at Cheltenham and his form is all with some cut in the ground.
That still leaves plenty of live candidates to consider, including course-specialists Fugitif, Il Ridoto and Protektorat, but the pick of them could be Ga Law (2.20), the winner of this race two seasons ago.
He looked as good as ever when running a close second on his return to action at Chepstow last month, is unbeaten in two starts in similar events at Cheltenham and is fairly priced at around 6-1 to make it three-from-three.
Cheltenham 1.45 L’Eau Du Sud was one of the best two-mile handicappers around over hurdles last season and already promises to be even better over fences.
Cheltenham 2.55 The progressive Doyen Quest returned with a fine second in a strong race at Chepstow last month and this step up to three miles could see further improvement.
Newcastle 3.15 Proven ability to produce useful form on the surface makes Tyrrhenian Sea the marginal call over the likely favourite, Peace Man, who has been running on turf since his debut in March 2023.
Cheltenham 3.30 Long Draw has been coming up only just short against some fast-improving opponents and can gain an overdue first win of the autumn here.
Newcastle 3.48 Karl Burke’s Night Raider was well down the field in the 2,000 Guineas in May but he is unbeaten in three starts on the all-weather and Oisin Murphy is a very positive booking in the saddle.
