Michelle Mone’s Monbeg Genius well beaten as Thunder Rock storms home
Thunder Rock provided Sean Bowen with his biggest success since returning from injury in the Premier Chase at Kelso. Bowen – who has seen his lead at the top of the jockeys’ championship eroded and then passed by Harry Cobden – has struggled for winners since his return to action but victory on one of Olly Murphy’s stable stars will have done him the world of good.
Given a patient ride, Thunder Rock grew in confidence as the race progressed, as Minella Drama, Aye Right and Elvis Mail tried to stretch things. Grand National fancy Monbeg Genius struggled to get on terms and when Thunder Rock went cruising on by as they turned into the straight, it was clear he had no more to give.
Thunder Rock found plenty in the home straight and the heavily backed 9-4 favourite came home seven lengths clear of Minella Drama, booking himself a ticket to Aintree and a step back up in class.
“He proved he stays three miles,” said Bowen. “They went quick and every time I gave him a squeeze he picked up. I was confident where I was and Olly gave me a lot of confidence going out to ride him. I’d been riding a lot more seconds than winners since I came back and I was getting a bit frustrated. It always helps having a good boss like that.”
Murphy added: “I said to Sean not to get in a battle with him and ride him with confidence because he was the classiest horse in the race and to make that tell and he did just that. It’s been hard for Sean, he’s riding through pain and we’ve had a quiet couple of weeks ourselves so this will do him the world of good.”
Monbeg Genius, the horse owned by the couple at the heart of the PPE scandal, the Conservative peer Michelle Mone and her husband, Doug Barrowman, trailed home in fifth, well behind the winner.
The British Horseracing Authority announced last month that the eight-year-old, officially owned by Barrowman Racing Ltd and who has always been regarded as a likely type for the Aintree marathon, is not affected by a restraint order placed on the assets of his owners. Baroness Mone and Barrowman are facing a long-running National Crime Agency investigation into allegations of bribery and fraud in their securing of more than £200m in government contracts for a company, PPE Medpro. Both now admit involvement in the company, but deny any wrongdoing.
Quick GuideGreg Wood's Sunday tips
Show
Huntingdon 1.55 Mixedwave 2.30 Balhambar 3.05 Bluegrass 3.40 Eximia 4.15 Pipers Cross 4.45 Ma Shantou
Doncaster 2.05 Lily Luna 2.40 Scrum Diddly (nap) 3.15 Iconic Middle (nb) 3.50 My Gift To You 4.25 I See The Sea 5.00 Mister Meggit
Newcastle 4.52 Vision Of Hope 5.25 Zephlyn 6.00 Army Ethos 6.30 Boafo Boy 7.00 Billy Mill 7.30 Pepsi Cat 8.00 Inawe 8.30 Ivasecret
Just a week on from seeing an £80,000 prize snatched from his grasp in the Eider Chase, Ewan Whillans was celebrating winning the £120,000 Morebattle Hurdle with Cracking Rhapsody.
When Prince Des Fichaux was reeled in by Anglers Crag after the last at Newcastle, Whillans could have been forgiving for thinking his best chance of winning a major handicap had slipped through his fingers. However, in Cracking Rhapsody he had an unexposed novice on his hands with course form up his sleeve, and the 9-1 chance turned what looked like a competitive race into something of a procession.
With Nicky Henderson’s morning favourite Under Control a non-runner, it opened the race up and it was 7-2 the field. But Cracking Rhapsody pulled away with Ginger Mail, another trained locally, early in the straight and by the time he jumped the last the race was won, pulling four and a half lengths clear.
“That was unbelievable and I’m over the moon,” said Whillans. “Even though he’s still a novice he’s always been a good jumper. I thought they’d have gone really quick, but Craig [Nichol] had him in a lovely position and he travelled really well. We don’t have many good horses and it’s usually a case of getting in good races.”
Tributes have been paid to Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Mark Bradstock, who has died aged 66. Along with his wife, Sara, Bradstock trained Coneygree to become the first novice since Captain Christy 41 years earlier to land the blue riband at Prestbury Park in 2015. He also saddled Carruthers to win the 2011 Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury, while Step Back was another big-race victor in the 2018 bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.
Coneygree was ridden at Cheltenham by Nico de Boinville, who is now established as one of the top riders in the sport. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Thinking of the Bradstock family. I owe them all so much, they played an integral part in getting me going. Mark will be hugely missed.”
As a mark of respect, jockeys at Newbury observed a minute’s silence before Saturday’s first race.