Artifice Sivola proves too hot for Chilli Romance at Stratford
IT was anything but a grey day as the sun shone for Stratford’s final fixture of the 2016 season on Thursday, but it was a horse of that colour who took the honours when Artifice Sivola landed the afternoon’s feature race for Newmarket trainer Lucy Wadham, writes David Hucker.
With no rain falling in the lead-up to the meeting, the ground continued to dry out, resulting in a number of non-runners across the card, including two in the feature £10,000 British Stallion Studs EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle (Qualifier).
In the absence of likely favourite Criq Rock, it was Kempton winner Artifice Sivola who headed the betting market, being sent off the hot 4-6 favourite to beat his three rivals.
Top of the official ratings, he was reverting to novice company after winning a conditional jockeys handicap last time out.
Only the mare Chilli Romance threatened to spoil the party, but she couldn’t get close enough to challenge and Artifice Sivola made all the running in the hands of Leighton Aspell.
Although the winner of three races on the Flat, Moulin Rouge was still looking for her first success over jumps when she lined up for the opening Charlotte Cole Memorial Selling Hurdle.
Runner-up on both her latest starts at Newton Abbot, she was backed from 5-1 to 7-2 before the off and the market proved spot-on as she saw off favourite Destiny’s Gold by three lengths.
Taken straight into the lead by Charlie Poste, Moulin Rouge made every yard of the running and, despite a slight mistake at the final flight, had enough in hand to run out a comfortable winner.
With no bids at the post-race auction, she returned to Brian Barr’s Dorset stable and, in this form, could win again.
There was a good field of nine for the following Charlie Longsdon Racing Chase (A Novices’ Limited Handicap), with top-weight Foxtail Hill a solid 11-8 favourite to follow up his recent Worcester win.
There was also money for the four-year-old Fouburg, described by his trainer Harry Whittington in the Racing Post Weekender as “a free-going sort who needs to stop running with the throttle out”.
Racing keenly, Fouburg took the field long for the first part of the race, giving way to point-to-point winner, The Fresh Prince, but neither was to feature in this finish, as 14-1 shot Smoking Jacket led out of the back straight to hold off the challenge of outsider The Coffee Hunter.
Course winner Cyrien Star was bidding for another success in the Sharp Rise Third In American Grand National Handicap Chase but, just as at Cheltenham the week before, he was reluctant to race, eventually setting off behind the other runners.
Although he made up the ground, he was never able to challenge the leaders, finishing well down the field as Big Casino and Ryan Hatch ran on strongly to repel the late challenge of Foundation Man.
But, the result might have been different had Kilcascan not made a bad blunder at the third-last fence when going well in the lead and, having been given a break since winning in July, should improve for the race.
Only two horses got into contention in the JH Rowe Memorial Handicap Chase, as course winner Johnny Og and King Of The Wolds had the race between them from the start. It was Johnny Og, trained by Martin Keighley, who proved the stronger, winning by four lengths.
Top weight Gabrial The Great was settled at the rear by David Noonan and, although making some headway down the back straight, could never get near enough to challenge.
The Murphy Salisbury Maiden Hurdle brought the curtain down on the season and El Terremoto, taken to the front approaching the final flight by Daryl Jacob, came right away for an impressive success.
Coming into the meeting, David Dennis topped the table for the leading trainer award for the year and, with his closest rival Neil Mulholland not having a runner, he took home the first prize of two cases of wine from sponsors Bordeaux Undiscovered.
After a winter break, racing returns with the first of 19 fixtures for 2017 on Monday, 13th March.
