Pipe still on top

Apr 25 2005 By The Evening Chronicle

One of the best National Hunt seasons for many a year came to a close at Sandown on Saturday and with it the climax of what has been a thrilling trainers' championship race.

In the end it was title No 15 for that man Martin Pipe, who effectively clinched matters with the brilliant display of Well Chief in the Betfred Celebration Chase.

The six-year-old has had to play second fiddle to Moscow Flyer and Azertyuiop more than once this season, but has hardly run a bad race and really put it all together at the weekend.

Racecourse rumours suggested all had not been well in the days before the race and, with Moscow Flyer elsewhere, it was Azertyuiop, trained by Pipe's big rival Paul Nicholls, who actually went off favourite.

But Timmy Murphy on Well Chief always had him in his sights and in the end were full value for a winning margin of four lengths.

"He is super, just a fantastic horse," said Pipe. "Timmy gave him a peach of a ride, he really did. Azertyuiop is a very good horse too, but I am delighted with Well Chief. He jumped well, Timmy produced him at a perfect time and he won well, so I am delighted.

"We have been trying to freshen him up at home since Cheltenham and it seems to have worked!"

After being presented with his trainers' trophy later, Pipe added: "It means so much to everybody, to all the stable staff, and they need the credit as they do all the hard work.

"It really was a tough contest, very exciting. Good for racing and good for the public too, but a bit tense for us though.

"I was resigned to finishing second this year but we've done it and I'm absolutely delighted.

"We'll have a celebration at the local pub and I'm just worried about the ceiling there, because last year they kept giving me the bumps."

The Well Chief result had meant Nicholls needed everything to go his way in the feature Betfred Gold Cup but it went wrong very early when Grand National runner-up Royal Auclair crashed out at the very first fence.

Whitenzo made a brave bid but faded to finish fourth and, with fancied stablemate Inca Trail only 10th, the Ditcheat handler had to settle for second-best.

"We've had our best-ever season and I'm looking at things that way," he said. "It hasn't been easy dealing with it all over the last few days but we'll be back next year to give it another go."

The race itself went the way of Jack High, who was rounding off a fine campaign for Irish runners in the big British prizes.

Trainer Ted Walsh said after his charge's one and a quarter length success over Juveigneur: "We (the Irish) have had a wonderful year with eight or nine winners at Cheltenham, the same at Liverpool, Tom Taaffe won the King George with Kicking King, Michael O'Brien won the big hurdle race with Essex and it goes on and on.

"The Irish horses have never been on such a high and I am glad to be a part of it."

It was a red-letter day, too, for champion jockey Tony McCoy, who notched his sixth double-century of winners thanks to the efforts of Yes Sir in the opener. And the rider also had reason to smile after the success of Jack High, as Walsh explained: "The first man to congratulate me was Tony McCoy, who pulled up on Stormez, and said it was one for Willie Rock.

"Willie was AP's mentor and he bred this horse and had him all his life. When Willie passed away with cancer a couple of years ago he gave him to me."

This meeting at Sandown also features high-class action on the Flat, of course, and top honours went to Hurricane Alan, who repeated his success of 12 months ago in the Betfred.com Mile.

Sent off a 5-1 shot, the five-year-old was settled behind the pacesetting Brunel by Pat Dobbs and wore down his rival inside the final furlong to record a gritty half-length success.

Winning trainer Richard Hannon is now looking towards Newbury on May 14 for his tough colt.

"He will probably go for the Lockinge now," he said. "A Group One win would make him a stallion, though he's probably a stallion now anyway. He's not bad for a 14,000 yearling, is he?"

Weightless and Johnny Murtagh caused a 14-1 shock in the Group Three Betfred Gordon Richards Stakes as the odds-on favourite and last year's Yorkshire Oaks winner Quiff could only finish a distant fourth in the 10-furlong event.

The Amanda Perrett-trained winner overcame a 182-day lay-off to score on his seasonal debut, recording an easy success over Hazyview.

The Pulborough handler was surprised and delighted with the return to form of the In The Wings colt, who was purchased at the Deauville Horses In Training Sale on the recommendation of Khalid Abdullah's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe.

There were no excuses offered from the disappointed connections of the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Quiff, who never got competitive and was beaten a long way out.

"The ground may have been a bit dead, but she has gone in it before and they have gone a good gallop," Grimthorpe shrugged. "I don't know what's gone wrong. We'll have to wait and see."