Starchitect lifts the gloom for trainer Pipe
STARCHITECT, owned by Paul and Clare Rooney, landed the day’s feature race at Stratford’s last meeting of 2017 to breathe some life into what has been a disappointing season so far for trainer David Pipe, writes David Hucker.
All seven declared runners set off for the Class3 Charlie Longsdon Racing Handicap Chase over two and a half miles and it was Longsdon’s top weight Germany Calling who took the lead, tracked by Starchitect. The complexion of the race changed approaching the second-last fence where Starchitect grabbed the initiative, although he soon faced a challenge from Mercian Prince, the two heading towards the last together.
It was Starchitect who found the better turn of foot, going clear of the staying-on Cut The Corner and the tiring Mercian Prince on the run-in to give jockey Tom Scudamore his fourth winner of the week.
But, for trainer Pipe, who has sent out 100 winners or more on six occasions since taking over from his father Martin, Starchitect was just the seventh success of the current season, which has seen the stable’s strike rate drop to single figures.
The day had got off to an exciting start with a ding-dong battle from the last in the opening Rio Gold Syndicate Maiden Hurdle between Linenhall and favourite Good Man Pat, with just a length separating them at the end of the two and three-quarter mile trip.
Daryl Jacob, who has a retainer with Bourton-on-the-Water trainer Ben Pauling this season, took Linenhall into the lead after the second flight and they made all the running from there on until the home straight where Tom Cannon brought Good Man Pat with what looked like a well-timed winning run.
The two jumped the last together, but Linenhall wouldn’t be denied, knuckling down to the task and seeing off the challenge of the favourite, with the pair drawing seven lengths clear of the well-backed Longsdon runner Shanroe In Milan in third.
Dan Skelton came into the meeting with an unassailable lead in the annual competition sponsored by wine merchants Bordeaux Undiscovered to win two cases of wine for the leading stable, having notched up a total of 11 winners in all at the course. He had just one runner on the card in the shape of Royal Beekeeper, ridden by Bridget Andrews, in the Watch Racing Replays At racinguk.com Conditional Jockeys' Selling Hurdle.
After Alamein had taken them along to the second-last flight, it was Elysian Prince who took the lead on the inside, bidding to give trainer Neil King, who had a double at Fakenham the day before, another winner.
But, Royal Beekeeper was snapping at his heels and a stumble at the last handed the initiative to the Skelton runner, who ran on well to score by half a length and bring up the stable’s 85 winner of the season. Running on for third was the Olly Murphy-trained Gold Class, who had pulled too hard for his own good at the last meeting, but was brought from off the pace this time by Bryony Frost.
The biggest field of the day lined up for the £10,000 British Stallion Studs EBF "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle (Qualifier), and it saw one of the shortest priced runners of the season in Western Ryder, who had finished fifth in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival, being sent off the 1-5 favourite.
But, there is no such thing as a racing certainty as, with his saddle slipping, Richard Johnson was unseated from Western Ryder at the third flight.
Up front, it was David Bass and Blazon who were intent on making all the running, but they were collared by Honest Vic as the runners headed for home and Andrew Tinkler’s mount ran right away to record an eight-length victory.
The Charlotte Cole Memorial Novices' Chase was robbed of much of its interest when, despite watering leading up to the meeting, the ground was deemed too fast for likely favourite Ballyoptic. With Max Forte also withdrawn, this left just two runners, with Keeper Hill, who had been contesting graded races over hurdles, going off another red-hot favourite.
Making most of the running, he looked in command until sole rival Lined With Silver joined him at the last fence and those who had backed him at odds of 1-12 must have held their breath for a moment.
It all turned out alright in the end as, with the more experienced Lined With Silver making a mistake just when he needed a good jump, Keeper Hill strode away for a comfortable debut success.
Favourite backers went home happy when Play The Ace, ridden by James Bowen, took the final race of the year, the J.H. Rowe Memorial Handicap Chase, winning in good style from Beau Du Brizais to record his fourth course success.
