THERE’S no reward without a little Risque in this game.
And trainer Chris Gordon’s punt paid off big-time when Aucunrisque bagged the £155,000 Betfair Hurdle.
PAAucunrisque won the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury at 9-1[/caption]
The seven-year-old has been running to a high level over fences this season, finishing second in a Kempton Grade 2 most recently.
But Hampshire-based Gordon had a feeling his horse was well-handicapped over hurdles, and he was proved right as his 9-1 shot beat the Irish hotpot Filey Bay in a cracking finish.
Jockey Nick Scholfield made every yard of the running on the winner – against Gordon’s instructions.
“You idiot! I told you to drop in behind the leaders,” Gordon joked as the grinning jockey arrived back in the winners’ enclosure.
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It was an improvised plan, but Scholfield executed it to perfection as one-by-one Aucunrisque saw off his challengers, who looked to be queueing up at the top of the straight.
The danger that he couldn’t shake off was Emmet Mullins’ 4-1 favourite Filey Bay, who loomed up menacingly under Donagh Meyler in JP McManus’ famous green and gold silks.
But Aucunrisque pulled out more under pressure to win bravely by a length, with Teddy Blue and Yorksea picking up the pieces in third and fourth for the Gary Moore yard.
Gordon is known to party hard after a winner and he said: “I’m going to get right back home and smash it tonight.
“I do feel emotional about this, it’s the old Schweppes Hurdle and for me this is better than winning any handicap at Cheltenham.
“I always thought it was a race for clever trainers so I have proved that wrong today.
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“He is a wonderful, tough and consistent horse. He has never been a problem and is so easy to train.
“He’s owned by the guv’nor Julian Head who sponsors half my yard, so I’ll take him in the bar now and try to sell him another horse, though he has fallen for that too many times.
“It’s right up there in terms of special days. It’s one we’ll savour.”
Earlier on the card, top trainer Philip Hobbs bagged his 3,000th winner with 16-1 shot Zanza in the Denman Chase.
Hobbs, who first took out a licence in 1985, trained the likes of Rooster Booster, Flagship Uberalles and Menorah to multiple Grade 1 wins.
He said: “It’s taken us a long time to do it but it’s a great day.
“Of them all, Rooster Booster was amazing as he went 18 months without getting beat and more recently Defi Du Seuil. We’ve had a lot of great days.”
And Funambule Sivola won the Game Spirit Chase for the second year running with a gutsy front-running performance.
Hot favourite Greaneteen flopped spectacularly in third, with trainer Paul Nicholls asking jockey Harry Cobden afterwards: “What do we do now?”
It completed a miserable afternoon for the champion trainer, who was tipped by some to go through the card at Newbury.
Instead he headed back to Somerset with no winners and defeats for some of his stable stars.
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