BetBright Chase |
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| Grade 3 Handicap, Kempton Park 15:45 £100,000 added, 5yo plus, 3m, Class 1  |
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| Saturday 21st February 2015 | |
1 Rocky Creek 8/1
2 Le Reve 6/1
3 Bally Legend 25/1
NR: Lost Legend (IRE), What A Warrior (IRE)
14 ran Distances: 6l, 2¾l, 19l
TIME 6m 24.70s (slow by 26.70s)
Rocky Creek wins a dramatic Betbright Chase to give trainer Paul Nicholls another big Saturday winner
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Once called on for a maximum effort, the nine-year-old responded in style, pulling six lengths clear of runner-up Le Reve.
Following Rocky Creek's win, which completed the second leg of a double for Nicholls and jockey Sam Twiston-Davies, his odds for the Grand National were cut to 12-1 with a handful of bookmakers.
Twiston-Davies said: "He was awesome, it's a great training performance, it was good fun. He was a different horse today, he took a pull on the way to the start. He's a pleasure to ride and very straightforward.
"We always felt better ground and Aintree would suit him. He ran a good race last year and this year I'd take a bit more time with him."
Nicholls added: "That is just what we wanted before Aintree. What happened at Newbury with the tongue-tie was that he seemed to spit the dummy out (when pulled up).
"I was never going to run him before the National weights came out as Aintree was always the number one target.
"Sam Twiston-Davies just ambled round and then ran away with him coming to the second-last.
"He jumped and travelled well in last year's National and now that we have got his breathing right, the National should be right up his street."
Betbright Chase
£100,000 added, 5yo plus, 3m, Class 1
14 ran
Going: Soft (Heavy on bend adjacent to lake)
| Pos | Dist | Horse SP | Jockey /Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Rocky Creek (IRE) 8/1 | S Twiston-Davies 11-11 |
P F Nicholls | 9 | |
| 2nd | 6 | Le Reve (IRE) 6/1 | L P Aspell 11-3 |
Mrs L Wadham | 7 |
| 3rd | 2¾ | Bally Legend 25/1 | T J O'Brien 10-11 |
Mrs Caroline Keevil | 10 |
| 4th | 19 | Ardkilly Witness (IRE) 20/1 | W Kennedy 10-10 |
Dr R D P Newland | 9 |
| 5th | 2¾ | Godsmejudge (IRE) 33/1 | W Hutchinson 11-3 |
A King | 9 |
| 6th | nk | Tenor Nivernais (FR) 9/1 | Aidan Coleman 10-6 |
Miss V Williams | 8 |
| 7th | 2¼ | Rajdhani Express 20/1 | Mr S Waley-Cohen (3) 11-12 |
N J Henderson | 8 |
| 8th | 21 | Ballinvarrig (IRE) 10/1 | P J Brennan 10-4 |
T R George | 8 |
| PU | The Rainbow Hunter 33/1 | N D Fehily 11-1 |
K C Bailey | 11 | |
| PU | Easter Day 9/2f | Nick Scholfield 10-13 |
P F Nicholls | 7 | |
| PU | Renard (FR) 20/1 | L Treadwell 10-10 |
Miss V Williams | 10 | |
| PU | Chartreux (FR) 11/1 | B J Geraghty 10-9 |
T R George | 10 | |
| UR | Fox Appeal (IRE) 7/1 | R P Mclernon 11-9 |
Miss E C Lavelle | 8 | |
| UR | Tap Night (USA) 8/1 | R Johnson 10-1 |
Miss Lucinda V Russell | 8 | |
| NR | What A Warrior (IRE) | Non Runner 10-13 |
D Skelton | 8 | |
| NR | Lost Legend (IRE) | A P McCoy 10-12 |
Jonjo O'Neill | 8 |
