Noble Yeats breaks Paisley Park’s heart, Freddie Gingell wins first Grade 1 and Sir Gino impresses at Cheltenham

THE old’uns are the best’uns and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

On a day where the spotlight was on the youth, it was the veterans, once again, who stole the show.

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Grand National hero Noble Yeats won the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham[/caption]

What is it about these old timers? They don’t half tug at the heartstrings.

And Paisley Park might have fallen an agonising head short in his bid to win a fourth Cleeve Hurdle, but the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for him.

Of course, you have to tip your hat to the winner Noble Yeats, who gave tooth toff Sam Waley-Cohen a famous victory in the Grand National back in 2022.

The nine-year-old has been feeling his way back to form over the last 12 months and shrewd trainer Emmet Mullins has clearly worked his magic yet again.

But the crowd were never louder than when it looked like Paisley Park was going to get up in the shadows of the post for a last-gasp victory.

No matter how hard they willed him home, he could never quite get there, brave defeat rather than glorious victory.

Still, it wasn’t a bad effort for a horse who turned 12 this month and has more miles on the clock than a second-hand black cab.

They were 20 or 30 deep on the rails to welcome him back in, and the horse stood proudly with his ears pricked and took the applause. 

He thinks he won, and let’s keep it that way.

The cheque, however, will be going home with Mullins and he confirmed the horse would stick to the smaller obstacles in the Stayers’ Hurdle in March, for which he is now a 10-1 shot (from 16s).

Whether or not Harry Cobden will be on board in six weeks remains to be seen but the top jock, who is now just 15 winners behind Sean Bowen in the standings, gave the 3-1 shot a peach.

He threw the horse at the last and it was a kitchen sink job on the run-in as he completed a big double on the day, following on from Ginny’s Destiny earlier on the card.

Fair to say Mullins, nephew of Willie, was chuffed. 

He grinned: “It was a brilliant race. It was two tough genuine horses running to the line. 

“It was a bit nerve-racking and I would say most other people enjoyed it more than I did.

“We had to come and do that and lay down our claim for the Stayers’ Hurdle, and you’d say he would be in with a right shout now.

“I think a lot of people were surprised when we didn’t give him a Gold Cup entry, but we had our crack at that last year and were put in our place.

“Harry was tremendous on him. The Stayers’ has been the plan all season and after that he will head back to Aintree for the National again.”

Poor Emma Lavelle, meanwhile, was put through the wringer once again having watched Paisley Park finish a close second for the third time this winter.

She said: “It isn’t half stressful following this horse.

“They just went too steady for him I’d say, and he just hit a little flat spot when they quickened it up at the bottom of the hill.

“He is an amazing horse, there were people in tears after the race and it made me pretty emotional.

“If only he could have got going a stride or two earlier, but he has done us proud yet again.”

Elixir Du Nutz upsets Jonbon – as Freddie Gingell wins first Grade 1

IF you’d told Freddie Gingell at the start of the year he was going to win a Grade 1, he’d have thought you were Nutz.

But the teen jockey sensation only went and lowered the colours of the mighty Jonbon in the Clarence House Chase on brave Elixir De Nutz.

On all known form, it was hard to see this result coming – but we didn’t account for Freddie having a little help from on high. 

As he passed the past after this 22-1 stunner, trained by his uncle, Joe Tizzard, he looked to the heavens and blew a kiss to his late mum, Kim.

She was cruelly taken by cancer four years ago, when Freddie was just 14-years-old.

And he was in no doubt, she helped both him and his horse up the hill as they edged out Jonbon by a neck.

He said: “I could feel the will of the crowd but I felt it more than ever, her influence. I could tell she was there with me.

“This is the most emotional success I’ve ever had and mum was up there looking down on me.”

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Elixir Du Nutz won the Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham[/caption]

He already knows what he is going to do with his cut of the prize-money, having had a prang in the car he has only had for two months.

Freddie grinned: “The gear box blew up on Thursday night! Thankfully I can afford to fix it now.”

Mind you, he was also helped out by the sloppy jumping of 1-4 jolly Jonbon, who barely lifted a leg under James Bowen.

He left a whopping great hole in the fence at the top of the hill and the writing was on the wall from that point on.

Nicky Henderson said: “He did remarkably well to get back to where he did. There wasn’t a stride at the last, if he’d winged that he may well have won. 

“He’s lost the battle but not the war.”

Sir Gino impresses in Triumph head-to-head

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Sir Gino is the new favourite for the Triumph Hurdle[/caption]

THE Gino is out of the bottle… and he’s now a red-hot favourite for the Triumph Hurdle.

The hugely promising Sir Gino produced a spell-binding performance at Cheltenham as jockey James Bowen beamed: “That’s the best horse I’ve ever ridden.”

Trainer Nicky Henderson admitted he has been trying to contain his excitement about this horse, at the risk of getting egg on his face.

The four-year-old has been burning up the gallops at Seven Barrows this winter and made a big impression on his British debut at Kempton over Christmas.

But he took his form up several notches in the Triumph Trial, blowing away the previously unbeaten Burdett Road by 10 lengths without breaking sweat.

He jumped like a stag and Bowen never had to pick up his whip as the horse drew clear on the run-in – and he is now 6-4 from 9-2 for the Triumph in March.

Hendo said: “We’ve thought he was very good all along but I haven’t wanted to go overboard.

“It was very pleasing to see him go and win like that, the runner-up was a very good Flat horse and had done nothing wrong over hurdles.

“He clearly has a big engine and he is a great big horse, he could jump a fence tomorrow if you wanted to.

“There is no point going anywhere else between now at the Festival, that will have set him up perfectly.”

James Owen, trainer of Burdett Road, said: “You never like to get beat but the winner is clearly very good. We won’t lose heart.”

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