RANDOX GRAND NATIONAL FESTIVAL NEWS: PADDY BRENNAN ENJOYS BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER AS DYSART ENOS LANDS GOFFS UK NICKEL COIN BUMPER
Thursday 13th April
Paddy Brennan celebrated his 42nd birthday in style when partnering Dysart Enos to victory in the Grade 2 Goffs UK Nickel Coin Mares’ Bumper.
Paddy Brennan said: “I liked her a lot. She didn’t get the credit I thought she deserved for winning at Market Rasen. She beat a very good filly of Oliver Sherwood’s (Queens Gamble) and there was no fluke in it on ground she would not have liked that much.
“I thought on this ground today we would see the very best of her and we sure did. I knew during the day we weren’t going to make up ground. Tactically you sometimes think drop in but that wasn’t an option today.
“A 20 runner bumper is rough at the start and friends become distance, that’s the way it is. It is a tough game but I was always in control. I was following the Jeremy Scott horse (Golden Ace) out of the back straight. As soon as I turned into the straight it was all over.
“I remember when I rode her for the first time in the Listed race at Market Rasen and I said how do you want me to ride her, and he said ride her as if she is your own which gives you great confidence as a jockey.
“It is so good for Fergal (O’Brien) and the team. I drive Fergal so hard every day to get this next level and to compete on the big stage as I know he is good enough to be the very best as a trainer. Maybe sometimes I annoy him a lot because of my hunger but we are only starting. I’ve had many partnerships in my career and if you are not in it to win what is the point. The competition is high and there are a lot of good jump trainers and we can compete with the very best I’ve no doubt about that.
“At the moment I see me telling the owners to drink as much champagne as they can tonight and dream on. The competition is fierce but she is good enough to compete at the very top level.
“The celebration was for Fergal as getting these big winners is what we want as we want to be on the big stage.
“It took me a little bit by surprise how well she travelled into the race, but I didn’t ride her on this sort of ground last time. She is very good.”
Fergal O’Brien, the winning trainer, said: “We were hopeful coming here. She was very impressive at Market Rasen, and we thought maybe we got lucky on the day, it didn’t suit Oliver [Sherwood]’s horse [Queens Gamble]. She was phenomenal today - that was beyond what we hoped for. I told the boys if we finished in the first three I’d be delighted. What a run, though - she’s just cruised all the way through.
“We bought her at the sale here last year [for £95,000], so credit to Goffs. It’s Paddy Brennan’s birthday today, so a big shout out to him. Tom Broughton - who rode in the Foxhunters - rides her nearly every day, and she’s not the most straightforward. We’ve got a massive team at home and it’s due to them that these horses can turn up here like that.
“She’s won a point-to-point, she’s a good jumper and we’ll find a way for her. We had a couple of false starts with her - the Market Rasen race was put off a couple of times - and she did well to be brought up to a race, brought back down again and brought back up again. She’s never disappointed us, and we’re absolutely over the moon.”
Lorcan Williams, the jockey of the runner-up Golden Ace, said: “She ran fantastically. She’s a really nice mare. Things didn’t really go to plan at Ascot the last day but we were in a lovely position here the whole way. We just didn’t quite have the boot of the winner but we’ve beaten some really smart horses behind us there, so I’m really thrilled with the run. She’ll go novice hurdling over two and a half miles next year and she’ll have a lovely campaign.”
Patrick Mullins, rider of third-placed Williamstowndancer: “I was flat out early on. She didn’t go at all for me but then she started staying on and passing horses. It’s great to get black type and we might look at Punchestown and then go jumping.”
5.15pm Goffs UK Nickel Coin Mares' Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (Grade 2)
- Dysart Enos 13/2
- Golden Ace 40/1
- Williamstowndancer 16/1
