dai-sport’s horse racing column – by Brian Lee

Garo De Juilley won the Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow for jockey Paddy Brennan and trainer Sophie Leech, who is based only 20 miles away in Gloucestershire.

The winner had been bought out of Paul Nicholls’s stable for just £8,000 in May.

Ireland’s Point of Principle, ridden by Alan Johns and trained by Aberthin’s Tim Vaughan, was second ahead of Whatmore, who had Adam Tinkler on board.

Chepstow Contract Rentals, South Wales and West Country-based suppliers of new and used construction machinery, celebrate their 10th anniversary this year, and sponsored the Silver Trophy feature race on day one of the jump season opener at Chepstow.

The race was worth £50,000 in prize money.

Enough rain had fallen to leave the going close to ideal – good, good to soft in places. Happily, the rain stayed away on race day, though it was mainly cloudy and a stiff breeze was against the runners in the home straight.

https://twitter.com/Chepstow_Racing/status/1051774479641251840

The sun came out for the Legends charity race, for former jump jockeys in aid of the Bob Champion Cancer Trust which has raised almost £15 million over the years.

Midnight Chill, ridden by Rodney Farrant, held on by half a length from the running-on Box Office with Salto Chisco three quarters of a length away in third.  

The Silver Trophy was an 18-runner puzzle that few punters solved. Every horse had a chance turning into the straight, but it was 25-1 shot Garo De Juilley who joined the leaders at the fourth last and went ahead at the next.

Paddy Brennan pinched a useful lead on him and a good jump at the final flight sealed victory. A length and three quarters in arrears, Point Of Principle, Whatmore and Dans Le Vent filled the places.

Reflections on our Jump Season Opener from @Harry05Derham, assistant trainer to @PFNicholls https://t.co/eiZHeuAV1i

— Chepstow Racecourse (@Chepstow_Racing) October 15, 2018

The Tricast paid almost £10,000 to a £1 stake. The successful trainer, Sophie Leech, is based only 20 miles away in Gloucestershire.

The winner had been bought out of Paul Nicholls’ stable for just £8,000 in May.

Martyn Durran, managing director of the group wanted to mark the opening decade of the business by doing something different and memorable – enjoying a days hospitality at the races.

Naming the feature race after his company certainly did that. 

“It’s amazing what an experience, mixed with help from friends and family, a fantastic team, great suppliers and some really brilliant and loyal customers can do for a business,” said Durran.

This Saturday’s Ffos Las fixture is among the best meetings of the year – and the highlight is the Welsh Champion Hurdle, sponsored for the first time by the Dunraven Group.  

Unlike its Cheltenham counterpart, the West Wales-based Champion Hurdle is a handicap and top of the list is expected to be that perennial favourite The New One, now 10-years-old and trying to establish himself as a long-distance hurdler.  

He disappointed at Cheltenham and Aintree, but cannot be written off, having won 20 of his 38 races.  

Remarkably, he has won first time out in all of the seven seasons he’s been racing and may well make it eight on Saturday.

Among other entries are two good horses from the Dan Skelton yard who would be stepping up from two miles for the first time.  Ch’Tibello lost his way at the end of last season, but his earlier form with The New One, My Tent Or Yours and Yanworth entitles him to be a prime contender.

Mohaayed, the winner of the County Hurdle at Cheltenham, would also be a danger.

Paul Nicholls’s Le Prezien won the Grand Annual Chase at Cheltenham and although he hasn’t run over hurdles for over two years his form then was smart. He is now potentially well handicapped over the smaller obstacles.

Evan Williams’ Silver Streak won in great style at Chepstow’s 2017 Jump Season Opener and improved again to land the Swinton Hurdle at Haydock in the spring, looking like there was more to come.

Colin Tizzard’s Vision Des Flos, less than 10 lengths behind Samcro at Cheltenham and runner-up in good novice hurdles at the Aintree and Punchestown Festivals, is one of the principal entries in the two mile five furlong novice chase at 3.55.  This race has attracted several winning hurdlers having their first or second run over fences.

Final declarations will be known on Friday.

https://twitter.com/FfosLasRC/status/1051910580599226370

Teenage Welsh Jockey James Bowen has been shortlisted for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award.

He became the youngster rider to win the Welsh Grand National on Raz De Marie at Chepstow in January and secured another 2018 win on William Henry in the Lanzarote Hurdle.

James is the son of Peter Bowen, who trains horses in Haverfordwest.

The Bowen boys – 17-year-old James, Mickey and Sean – are all doing well. 

James Bowen and Raz De Maree clear the last on their way to victory in the Welsh Grand National. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

Sean, 19, is second only to Sam Twiston-Davies at Paul Nicholls’ yard, while Mickey, aged 22, helps his dad as a trainer.

James set a record of 30 wins in his first point‑to‑point season, while his agent is Due Roberts, the man who steered AP McCoy to 20 successive titles as champion jockey.

When James reflected on his Welsh Grand National win he said: “I was almost last all the way. I knew they’d gone at a good pace but I thought: ‘I’ll just get myself around and see how we get on.’ 

“To be honest I thought I was too far back. But he seemed to pick a few horses off one by one and he started enjoying it. 

“The horses ahead of us didn’t find as much as I expected and he kept running on at the same speed. I went into the lead at the second last and he ended up winning by six lengths. It’s incredible.

“I almost rode him as if I didn’t care. I know it sounds bad, but it’s the way you have to be because if you tried to force it something goes wrong. You just have to sit and suffer at the back and when the horse came back to me it makes it look good.”

Select from the fixtures below.

20/10/2018	Welsh Champion Hurdle	Buy Tickets
11/11/2018	Countryside Raceday	Buy Tickets
23/11/2018	MyRacing.com Corporate Raceday	Buy Tickets
09/12/2018	Carmarthenshire P2P	Buy Tickets
17/12/2018	Christmas Party Raceday	Buy Tickets