CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL NEWS: SECOND SUCCESS AT THE FESTIVAL 2024 FOR OUTSTANDING AMATEUR O’CONNOR AFTER INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN TAKES THE FULKE WALWYN KIM MUIR (SPONSORED BY THE JRL GROUP)
Thursday 14th March
Derek O’Connor has now won both races for amateur riders run so far at The Festival 2024.
Having claimed the Maureen Mullins National Hunt Challenge Cup on Corbetts Cross on Tuesday (12 March), the Irishman took the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Sponsored by the JRL Group) on top weight and 13/8 favourite Inothewayurthinkin for owner JP McManus and trainer Gavin Cromwell.
It was McManus’s third success of the week, following Corbetts Cross in and Fact To File in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. In total, McManus has now 76 Festival wins to his credit.
Derek O’Connor said: “If you watch the whole race, we had the most beautiful position and then as we ran down to the first fence on the inside, I think he got stage fright and landed in the middle of the track. I said to Gavin that I went through plans B, C, D and E as it all just fell asunder.
“It took us five or six fences to get his confidence back and then he raced brilliantly after that. I was at the top of the hill at the furthest part of the track before I could feel him getting his confidence back, but they’d gone a ferocious gallop, which really suited him, and I love riding races like that. I love picking off horses on one with a bit of class, and he’s very classy.
Gavin Cromwell said: “I thought going past here [mid-race] that it was going to take an awful lot of luck. He was so far back. He was jumping very big and slow and wasn’t helping Derek. But he is a cool customer, Derek. I don’t think it was too hard to take him back, to be fair - he’s a lazy enough type of horse, he got shuffled back very quick, but Derek didn’t panic.
“[His jumping was] big and slow, he wasn’t very economical. He has quality and scope, but I would just like to see him jump a little bit slicker.”
He said he was “pretty” confident about the distance on this ground, adding: “I know we’ve never gone this far, but he’s always shown signs that he’s capable.
“He is [a very laid-back horse at home], that’s a positive for him going forward.”
On how his horses have been going this week, Cromwell said: “Good, Flooring Porter ran a cracker. [The ground] has suited some and didn’t others. On the whole a good day; every day with a winner is a good day.
“This is a special place and it’s nice to win here any time of the year. This season we've tried to target some of the bigger pots over here and it’s worked with some horses.
It’s so important to get a winner here.”
Inothewayurthinkin beat the Jamie Snowden-trained Git Maker (Will Biddick) by eight lengths, with Whacker Clan a further 18 lengths away in third.
Will Biddick said: “From the reception he [Git Maker] got there, he’ll think he’s won.
Everything went well for him and we had a clear run all of the way. We’ve finished a long way clear of the rest but just ran into a good one. It was a hell of an effort.”
Jamie Snowden said: “It was a lovely ride and I thought Will got him into a lovely position. We have beaten the others well, but we have bumped into an exceedingly well handicapped horse unfortunately. However, it was still a cracking effort. It was a country mile back to the third, but he has run his heart out. We thought we had a chance at the second last, but your eye was drawn to the eventual winner.
“His last run was right-handed around Ascot on fast ground and he wants to go left-handed on softer ground, so we just put a line through that and moved on. He has run a belter.
We avoided the Eider Chase, and other races, to come here. We thought we had a well handicapped horse, but one that was not quite well handicapped [enough].
“He is a proper stayer and is probably one for the Scottish National in time. He was not quite a winner today, but we will enjoy it nonetheless.”
Henry de Bromhead, trainer of Whacker Clan, said: “He ran a blinder and I’m delighted for him, John Gleeson, and the Whacker’s Clan Syndicate. He is a real warrior. We have him for fun and after winning here in October they wanted to come back for the Festival and it has worked out really well.
“He is definitely improving all the time, which is brilliant. It seems the further he goes the better he is, so we might look at the Scottish National for him. We won’t go for the Irish National as that will come a bit too soon. The better the ground we can find him the better he will run.
“There is so much fun to be had with him.”
5.30pm Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase (Sponsored by the JRL Group) 3m 2f
- Inothewayurthinkin 13/8F
- Git Maker 28/1
- Whacker Clan 7/2
- Where It All Began 8/1
22 ran
Distances: 8l, 18l, hd
Time: 7m 13.43s
6th winner at The Festival for jockey Derek O’Connor
5th winner at The Festival for trainer Gavin Cromwell
76th winner at The Festival for owner JP McManus
LATEST PRESTBURY CUP STANDINGS
Ireland 12
Great Britain 8
