Racing News In Newbury

Big guns stand their ground in Hennessy Gold Cup

Djakadam hot favourite to become first five-year-old to win historic race 

A total of 23 entries remain for Saturday’s 58^th edition of the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury Racecourse, the longest-running commercial sponsorship in world sport.

Willie Mullins’ Djakadam could bid to become the first ever five-year-old to win the race and the first Irish winner since Bright Highway in 1980.

The in-form Philip Hobbs, who won the Hennessy back in 2001 with What’s Up Boys, is set to rely on Fingal Bay and the Minehead trainer is clearly excited about his prospects. He said:

“He’s in very good order and he is just a high class horse. To win a race off top weight at the Cheltenham Festival [Pertemps Final] proved that.

“This has been the target for a long time and I haven’t even looked at the other entries, so I can’t say who I fear at this stage.

“I don’t think the handicapper has been particularly lenient, but he’s on a workable mark.

“I’m not in the slightest bit concerned about the ground. Soft would be grand and although you never really want heavy, he would cope with it better than most.”

Paul Nicholls has an enviable record in the Hennessy, winning it twice as a jockey and three times as a trainer. He has three possible runners this year, but Rocky Creek, the runner-up 12 months ago, looks his number one hope.

The champion trainer said: “Rocky Creek has done well since Down Royal and the run certainly won’t be lost on him. He’ll improve again and the soft ground will be ideal.

“He ran very well in the Hennessy last year and has strengthened up since then. He had some good Grade 1 form last season, but he was quite difficult to get right at times.

Of his other two contenders, Nicholls added: “Black Thunder had a fairly hard race at Ascot earlier this month and we’ll make a decision on whether he runs later in the week.

“There’s an option to go to Sandown the following weekend and we’ll just have to see how the race looks.

“Unioniste hasn’t run for a while, but he’s a good staying chaser. He’s a lively outsider.”

Alan King’s Smad Place, who worked at the track last week as part of a media event, could be joined by his stablemate Midnight Prayer, while Oliver Sherwood’s Many Clouds is also set to line-up.

Nicky Henderson has won the last two renewals of the Hennessy Gold Cup and last year’s winner Triolo D’Alene could bid for back-to-back successes. He could be joined by another Seven Barrows inmate, Hadrian’s Approach, who unseated Nico de Boinville at the fifth fence 12 months ago.

The Druids Nephew ran a solid race at Cheltenham a couple of weeks ago and he could represent Neil Mulholland.

Following rain at the track on Saturday night into Sunday, the ground is now soft on the chase course and soft, heavy in places on the hurdles course.

The three-day bet365 Hennessy Festival starts on Thursday and tickets can be booked online at www.newbury-racecourse.co.uk or by calling 01635 40015.

For more information, please contact Andy Clifton, Newbury’s Head of Communications, on 07876 330090 or via [email protected].

Hennessy Gold Cup Five-Day Declarations

Horse	Age	Owner	Trainer
Houblon des Obeaux (FR)	7	Mrs Julian Blackwell	Venetia Williams
Triolo d’Alene (FR)	7	Mr & Mrs Sandy Orr	Nicky Henderson
Rocky Creek (IRE)	8	The Johnson & Stewart Families	Paul Nicholls
Ballynagour (IRE)	8	Mr Allan Stennett	David Pipe
Black Thunder (FR)	7	Donlon, MacDonald, Fulton & Webb	Paul Nicholls
Smad Place (FR)	7	Mrs Peter Andrews	Alan King
Fingal Bay (IRE)	8	Mrs R. J. Skan	Philip Hobbs
Hadrian’s Approach (IRE)	7	Mr & Mrs R. Kelvin-Hughes	Nicky Henderson
Vino Griego (FR)	9	Mr C. E. Stedman	Gary Moore
Many Clouds (IRE)	7	Mr Trevor Hemmings	Oliver Sherwood
Unioniste (FR)	6	Mr J. Hales	Paul Nicholls
Monbeg Dude (IRE)	9	Oydunow	Michael Scudamore
Annacotty (IRE)	6	Mrs Peter Prowting	Martin Keighley
What A Warrior (IRE)	7	Mr & Mrs Gordon Pink	Dan Skelton
Djakadam (FR)	5	Mrs S. Ricci	W. P. Mullins
The Druids Nephew (IRE)	7	The Stonehenge Druids	Neil Mulholland
Wychwoods Brook (GB)	8	Kevin & Anne Glastonbury	Evan Williams
Midnight Prayer (GB)	9	The Legends Partnership	Alan King
Via Sundown (FR)	6	The Old Brokers	Gary Moore
Victors Serenade (IRE)	9	Michael & Angela Bone	Anthony Honeyball
Le Reve (IRE)	6	Mr P. H. Betts	Lucy Wadham
Merry King (IRE)	7	Mr F. Gillespie	Jonjo O’Neill
Edmund Kean (IRE)	7	Walters Plant Hire & James & Jean Potter	Peter Bowen

Alan King and Oliver Sherwood bullish about Hennessy Gold Cup hopes

More Of That reported to be in fine shape ahead of bet365 Long Distance Hurdle tilt

Newbury Racecourse hosted a media launch event on 18th November ahead of the bet365 Hennessy Festival which runs from Thursday 27^th – Saturday 29^th November.

A total of 35 horses remain in the Hennessy Gold Cup with First Lieutenant the most notable defection after the final scratching stage today.

Oliver Sherwood, trainer of Many Clouds (7/1 favourite with bet365), was in attendance to talk about his Hennessy Gold Cup hope Many Clouds. Alan King worked two of his likely Hennessy contenders, Smad Place (10/1) and Midnight Prayer (20/1), on the course.

Jonjo O’Neill’s bet365 Long Distance Hurdle contender More Of That was next to exercise on the track.

Oliver Sherwood on his Hennessy Gold Cup runner Many Clouds

“I’m very happy with him, he worked this morning at home. On his reappearance [at Carlisle] I knew, or thought, that Holywell wouldn’t be fully primed. I thought Eduard would be the one to beat and I’d finish second, so I was delighted when he won.

“I was worried the handicapper would murder us but he put us up 7lb. I’m satisfied with that – he couldn’t clobber the horse for winning one of those conditions races in heavy ground.

“I can’t see the [Hennessy Gold Cup] trip being a problem. There’s plenty of stamina in his pedigree. Behind O’Faolains Boy in the Reynoldstown last season we were staying on and I can’t see it being a problem.

“In terms of his jumping, he’ll have to be spot on in such a big competitive handicap. He could make a mistake, but it’s out of my hands. It’s Leighton’s [Aspell, jockey] job. He’s had plenty of schooling.

“I was very pleased with his jumping at Carlisle, so fingers crossed. The Hennessy has been in the back of my mind since the middle of last season – he has the talent to win a handicap off 151.”

Alan King on his likely Hennessy Gold Cup pair of Smad Place and Midnight Prayer after they worked on the course this morning

“I’m very happy with both horses. It’s good to get them out and have a change of scenery – they haven’t seen a racecourse since Cheltenham in March. You could see Midnight Prayer definitely had the adrenaline coming out of his box.

“It wasn’t serious work, but they both enjoyed it. It gets the nerves and the adrenaline up, they can experience the atmosphere of a racecourse when they come off the back of the horse box. They just cantered quickly down the back, breezed along – neither had a hard blow, they just did enough.

“I always thought Midnight Prayer was a decent staying chaser, one or two people thought he was lucky to win at Cheltenham, but that’s probably not fair.

“I’m not worried about coming back just for the Hennessy, there are not many options for him.

“Off a mark of 155, he [Smad Place] should go well. Wayne [Hutchinson] will probably ride. He did everything at the Cheltenham Festival, bar win. I thought he would win coming to the last.

“But he’s strengthened up now. He was always quite narrow, but he looks stronger and is working better. There’s more improvement to come. Hopefully, he might be a Gold Cup horse and if he is to be he should run a massive race off this mark.”

Richie McLernon, representing trainer Jonjo O’Neill, on bet365 Long Distance Hurdle entry More of That

“We went steady, as it was wet ground, but I was happy enough. He was always going to take time to grow into himself. Obviously last year he was phenomenal, he proved how good he was. He went undefeated, beat Annie Power, who’s a brilliant mare. He’s just very good.

“I’m sure Mr O’Neill [trainer] will have him ready. He’s tough, fit and well.”

Richard Osgood, clerk of the course, said the chase course was back to soft after a wet week, but the forecast is mainly dry this week.

In Other News on Newbury Racecourse

Local community out in numbers supporting Newbury Racecourse’s Worthington’s Armed Forces Raceday

Newbury Racecourse’s popular Worthington’s Armed Forces Raceday on Saturday 28th October was a resounding success as people of all ages came to the track to witness the launch of the 2014 Poppy Appeal for Berkshire and the Vale of White Horse.

Racegoers paid tribute to the Armed Forces and enjoyed a multitude of on-course attractions, as well as top-class racing. The meeting got off to an exciting start when the Army Freefall Display Team, ‘The Tigers’, parachuted in, delivering the ceremonial poppy and kicking off the day.

Following a short Remembrance ceremony, Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for Berkshire, Mrs Mary Bayliss JP, then formally declared the Poppy Appeal open for business. Over £6,000 was raised for the Appeal on Saturday.

In the year that marks 100 years since the birth of the poppy as a symbol of Remembrance and hope, The Royal British Legion is encouraging people to support the Poppy Appeal for the memory of the fallen and the future of the living.

Jockeys showed their support for The Royal British Legion throughout the afternoon by wearing special yellow armbands.

Mounted troopers from the King’s Troop were in attendance and led in the winners of the first four races, while the Waterloo Band of the Rifles played throughout the day and led a sing-along with the crowds after the final race.

The highlights on the track were the two Group 3 contests, the Worthington’s Whizz Kidz Stakes (Registered as the Horris Hill) and The Worthington’s Burlison Inn Stakes (Registered as the St. Simon).

Richard Hannon Snr won the former a record four times in his long training career, including last year’s renewal, and his son Richard Hannon wasted no time in adding his name to the roll of honour.

Smaih (pictured above), ridden by Frankie Dettori, stayed on best to win the prize at 7/1. Dettori delighted crowds by performing his trademark flying dismount in the winner’s enclosure. The favourite Lexington Times, also trained by Hannon, was unplaced.

Sky Hunter absolutely bolted up in the Worthington’s Burlison Inn Stakes for jockey James Doyle and trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

Long-time leader Battalion looked to have opened up a race-winning advantage coming down the home straight, but Sky Hunter responded to his pilot’s urgings to surge clear and win by nine lengths as the 7/2 favourite. Island Remede was second with the gallant front-runner Battalion holding on for third.

Julian Thick, CEO at Newbury Racecourse, said: “It was great to see so many people from the local community turn out to support the wonderful and absolutely crucial work that our Armed Forces do every day.

“It’s been a great Flat season here and congratulations to Richard Hannon for winning the Worthington Whizz Kidz Stakes. I’d like to thank all our sponsors and we look forward to welcoming back everyone for the bet365 Hennessy Festival in November.”