Now connections may look at a trip to the Cheltenham Festival for the 2m5f Coral Cup – for which Paddy Power cut the Tom Symonds-trained six-year-old to 20-1 from 25-1 – or Aintree and a step up to Grade One company over a similar distance to this 3m½f contest in the Liverpool Hurdle.
The race had a wide-open look about it after the warm overnight favourite, Dan Skelton’s rising star Kabral Du Mathan, was taken out of the contest. But it ended up anything but as Lud’or ran out a convincing winner.
Beauport – who was second in this race last year before finishing 12th behind Nick Rockett in the Randox Grand National at Aintree Racecourse – cut out much of the running ahead of Henri The Second (5-1) before Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies’ 10-year-old faded coming to the home straight.
Under replacement jockey Gavin Sheehan, Lud’or was dropped in near the rear of the field but came through in style to score by four lengths from Henri The Second, who had taken over the lead over the final two flights. Lavida Adiva (14-1) was a further three-and-three-quarters-of-a-length back in third in the Haydock Grade Two contest.
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Winning trainer Symonds said: “Well done Haydock for holding their nerve (and getting racing on despite parts of the track being frozen earlier in the day). We had the choice of obviously the Pertemps qualifier and this race. But we felt at Windsor that we learned a lot about him. We dropped him in and before we had been quite handy with him.
“His jumping is getting a bit more accurate. He can be a bit ‘French’ at his hurdles and kick them out the way. But now he is using himself much better. Caoilin (Quinn) would usually ride him but he was at Ascot today, so sorry to him. But with Gavin (Sheehan) on, we learn a new dynamic with a new jockey on. We maybe learn more about the horse with someone who has never ridden him before. He felt that every post was a winning one. The further he went the better he got.”
The trainer added: “I am most excited about when he goes over fences. I really do think with this horse that everything he does over a hurdle is a bonus. If you look at Bangor now and what he has done today, it’s very good. I did plead with the handicapper that day to no avail. But it looks like the right thing. He wasn’t the highest rated horse in the race today by any means and he had a bit to find with French Ship (who fell). I hope that horse is all right. So it is nice to have a horse who has not put a foot wrong for us.
“We could look at something like that (the Liverpool Hurdle). But we will just see what the ground is. Soft ground would be key. I know it is not heavy here today but I wouldn’t worry about that either. He is just learning to race more professionally. We wanted to get him to drop in and understand that that is how you can save your gas for this sort of trip. He showed that to be the case.”
On Kabral Du Mathan’s absence, trainer Dan Skelton said: “Harry (Skelton) came in after and said yes the ground is different to advertised. And if you were up you would have made a decision. But on balance we are happy we didn’t run. We would have been having the conversation whether he could run. But we are happy with it.
“I have booked him in for a gallop next week if he doesn’t go to Fontwell for the National Spirit on the Sunday, which I don’t think he will because I want to avoid really heavy ground. So he will either go for a gallop and we will consider Cheltenham or we will to Fontwell. I am still not committed to Cheltenham but it has got more likely than before now. It has more chance of that now than before.
“We don’t know how he could be. But he is six, if he was seven he would be going to Cheltenham. But I am cautious and conscious of emptying the tank. Those older horses when you go into their game you have got to really stay. He will come in there with one of the more faster angles. Whether that stacks up on the day is the big question. Those older horses, the Bob Olingers, the Teahupoos and all those others know how to get three miles. That is hard.”
Dan Skelton’s Dalston Lad (5-2 favourite) triumphed in the Grade Two Haydock Park Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices’ Hurdle.
The six-year-old, under Harry Skelton, grabbed a hat-trick of victories following earlier wins at Sedgefield in December and a Handicap success over this course and distance. He took the step up to Grade Two company in his stride and is set to bypass the Cheltenham Festival and the Grade One Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, for which he is entered, and head to Aintree in April.
The improving Dalston Lad was always handy throughout the extended three-mile contest, sat just off the lead behind the front-running 50-1 outsider Caughtinatrance. But Dalston Lad came through to hit the front at the second-last flight and went on to score well by four lengths from Ubatuba (5-1) with Tashkan (20-1) a further six-and-a-half lengths back in third.
Skelton looks set to resist the temptation to send his progressive stayer to Cheltenham next month and will wait for Aintree.
The trainer said: “Basically after he won the last day don’t make it complicated. Just come back here and it was a perfect race for him. He has improved again. At the start of the year he was struggling with ulcers. We fancied him the first day at Cheltenham but he never picked the bridle up basically.
“But that was really good. He is progressive. He was a good bumper horse last year and he’s a good hurdler this year. So we are happy. He is tough and will gallop all day. He would handle the ground softer, he wouldn’t want the ground any quicker so good to soft at Aintree hopefully and he will take his chance. He is entered at Cheltenham but it will come too quick. He has had a race today. And we have Moneygarrow for that (Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham).
“There is no doubt there is more to come. Horses when they stay a trip like that they get better as time goes by. They learn to race the trip more and more. Those real stamina horses the ones at this age, if you get three miles now, you will get nearly four miles in the distance. Not many get beyond three miles so it is really good.”
Nicky Henderson’s French import Manlaga (7-4) went one better than on her British debut at Doncaster last month to win the Richard Howard 80th Birthday Celebration Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle in good style.
The four-year-old filly – who is owned by JP McManus – was beaten by three-quarters-of-a-length by Manganese on Town Moor on her first start since moving to Henderson’s Seven Barrows stable. But, under Brian Hughes, Manlaga got off the mark on Merseyside.
Paul Nicholls’ Pourquoi Pas Papa (13-8 favourite), with Macktoad alongside, made much of the running with Manlaga happy to sit travelling well near the back. When Pourquoi Pas Papa moved clear of Macktoad with two flights left, Manlaga came through ominously to challenge. After joining the leader, she moved through to take over at the head of affairs after the final flight. She went on to score by two-and-a-quarter lengths from Pourquoi Pas Papa with the first two well clear of the rest.
A trip to the Cheltenham Festival next month and possibly the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle over this two-mile trip could be on the agenda.
Winning jockey Hughes said: “They wanted her to take her time and learn a bit. She jumped very well and we went a good even gallop. (Paul) Nicholls’ horse kicked on early in the straight but she’s picked them up. She looks nice.
“The thing is that you just wanted her to learn a bit. If she is going to step up in grade we didn’t want her to bounce out and roll away. We wanted her to take her time and she was good enough to come through them.
“She is obviously a filly that has a good future in front of her. I presume that (the Fred Winter at Cheltenham) is something she may run in. She is rated well and the way she was getting there her handicap mark shouldn’t adjusted too much.
Olly Murphy’s The Bluesman (7-4) made it two wins from three starts this season with a smooth victory in the QED Scaffolding Ltd Handicap Chase. The seven-year-old, who was formerly trained by Paul Nicholls, may now head to the Cheltenham Festival for the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase next month.
The Bluesman – who won on his debut for Murphy at Southwell before finishing second to Heeztheboy at Leicester over Christmas – travelled well throughout under champion jockey Sean Bowen. Western Zephyr (33-1) made most of the early running with 6-4 favourite and three-time winner Throatlash in behind in second. The Bluesman was happy to let others do the work in front. But when Throatlash took a crashing in the home straight, The Bluesman moved through on the inside to challenge Western Zephyr. He went on to score by a cosy three-and-a-half-lengths from the long-time leader, who rallied on the run-in to be second five lengths ahead of Bythesametoken (40-1).
Murphy was happy with his progressive chaser. He said: “He is probably arguably unlucky not to be unbeaten over fences. Just one got first run on him the last day. He was going the right way in Ireland and he didn’t mind that slightly better ground. It’s a good step. He could sneak into the Jack Richards and we’ll see what the handicapper does. But a stronger-run race might suit him even better. He is a very strong traveller. He is unexposed and is a healthy horse in good form, so we’ll look at the few things.”
