Virgin Bet Great Yorkshire Chase
Listed Handicap 14:05
Doncaster
£100,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus,
2m 7f 214yds, Class 1  
Saturday 24th January 2026

1 Dartmoor Pirate 7/1
2 New Order 9/1
3 Walking On Air 11/1
8 ran NR: Kelce, King's Threshold
Distances: 3¾l, ¾l, 6l Time: 6m 5.24s (slow by 13.24s)

Dartmoor Pirate proved that stamina is very much his calling card, staying on strongest of all to land a race steeped in history and run this year in demanding conditions.

A smaller field than usual assembled, but there was no shortage of drama. Rex Dingle’s partner had to show real resolve, for turning in he looked a beaten horse. This was only his fourth start over fences for Anthony Honeyball, still lightly raced in this sphere, though he arrived carrying 7lb more than for his previous success in lesser company.

Joyeux Machin stretched the field with half a mile to run, setting a searching gallop before crashing out at the cross fence. At that stage Charlie Longsdon’s New Order and Faye Bramley’s Walking On Air appeared to be moving best, while Dartmoor Pirate, at 7-1, seemed to be labouring and in danger of dropping away.

Yet by the third-last he had clawed himself back into the picture. Hitting the front, he briefly idled, but Dingle kept him honest and up to his work, and the response was decisive. He pulled clear to beat New Order by the best part of four lengths, a victory built on perseverance as much as raw ability.

Afterwards Dingle admitted it had been a thorough test: “I was flat out the whole way, we went a good strong clip for the first mile and a half.

“I couldn’t have gone with them even if I’d wanted to, but when they slowed up and he passed a few he started to warm to it.

“He’s relatively unexposed, especially over fences. He missed the odd one here and there but he jumped well when I needed him to.

“I ended up in front with the luxury of having a bit of time on my hands and he didn’t do a tap in front.

“Anthony’s done a brilliant job with him, he bought him as a store and I don’t think he’s been easy to train but he’s been patient and to win a big one is great.”

And he signed off with a rider’s simple truth: “It’s the big ones that matter, you can ride as many winners as you want but the big ones matter.”

BoyleSports

Great Yorkshire Chase
£100,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 7f 214yds, Class 1
8 ran
Going: Soft, Good to Soft in places

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1    Dartmoor Pirate 7 10-12 Anthony Honeyball Rex Dingle 7/1
2 3¾ New Order 8 10-12 Charlie Longsdon David Bass 9/1
3 ¾ Walking On Air 9 11-0 Faye Bramley Brian Hughes 11/1
4 6 Docpickedme 10 11-4 Richard Hobson Charlie Maggs 15/2
5 3½ Deep Cave 8 12-0 Christian Williams Jack Tudor 9/2
6 8 Josh The Boss 7 11-6 Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies Mr Jamie Neild 7/1
FELL Joyeux Machin 9 11-6 Dan Skelton Tristan Durrell 7/1
PU Grand Geste 7 11-2 Joel Parkinson & Sue Smith Danny McMenamin 5/2F
NR 2 King's Threshold 9 11-10 Emma Lavelle NON RUNNER
NR 10 Kelce 8 10-5 Neil Mulholland NON RUNNER

horse racing