Samcro Returns To Deliver Gigginstown’s G1 Century

[Wandering Eyes]

CHELTENHAM, UK—While JP McManus has been enjoying a stellar Cheltenham Festival, it had been a quieter first few days for Gigginstown House Stud but the O’Leary family’s operation was quickly back in the winner’s enclosure on Thursday as Samcro (Ire) (Germany) brought up their 100^th Grade 1 victory in the opening March Novices’ Steeplechase.

Two years after his first Festival win in the G1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and on his first start since a wind operation, the 8-year-old returned to the glory days as Davy Russell produced him with his nose just ahead on the line to edge out Melon (GB) (Medicean {GB}), with the ever popular Faugheen (Ire) (Germany) just a length back in third.

“Samcro is the forgotten horse,” said trainer Gordon Elliott, who divulged that a change of stabling arrangements to allow the horse to live out much of the time has helped in his team’s battle to return him to his best.

“He is one the favourites in the yard and we love him. You can see how much it means to everyone in the yard. All the girls, and Jack Madden who looks after him every day, have done all the hard work with this horse. They have spent day and night trying to get this horse right. He hasn’t been scoping clean and it has been hard to get him to scope right—thankfully it has paid off today.”

He continued, “Everyone was knocking him when he was in the doldrums—I probably lost a bit of faith in him myself. The horses are flying and all running well, I just can’t believe it.”

This assertion was instantly backed up with a one-two for Elliott in the following race, the G3 Pertemps Network Final, won by JP McManus’s Sire Du Berlais (Fr) (Poliglote {GB}) for the second year in a row from The Storyteller (Ire) (Shantou), a fellow previous Festival winner. And, as the third day of the meeting drew to a close, Elliott claimed the last race of the day, also for Gigginstown House Stud, with Milan Native (Ire) (Milan {Ire}) giving amateur rider Robert James his first taste of Festival glory.

Irish Racing Ahead
Midway through the afternoon it had been confirmed that all Irish racing was to be run behind closed doors from Friday, but the Irish romp continued at Cheltenham, with Elliott’s closest rival Willie Mullins landing a double himself, firstly with favourite Min (Fr) (Walk In The Park (Ire}) in the G1 Ryanair Chase.

Despite being a six-time Grade 1 winner, Min had yet to strike at the Festival. Last April at Aintree he had beaten Wednesday’s G1 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Politologue (Fr) by 20 lengths and, laying down his challenge from the front under Paul Townend, he was resolute in fending off the rallying Saint Calvados (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Fr}). A Plus Tard (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}) delivered a clean sweep for French-breds by finishing a close third and he completed a fantastic Festival for Cheveley Park Stud, who had two winners and two thirds from only four runners.

“Watching Min jump today, he was just fantastic through the air and, when he needed a jump, he got them. He put the others under pressure,” said Mullins of the Susannah and Rich Ricci-owned chaser.

“It was wobbly-knee time after the last when Saint Calvados came up the inside but he still had a little bit left in the tank. I am pleased for him, Paul, Rich, Susannah and everyone.”

He added, “The horses have been running well and just haven’t been getting the rub of the green. Faugheen and Melon ran great earlier and all the horses seem to be firing without winning.”

It’s very rare that there isn’t a Mullins runner in the reckoning when it comes to mares’ races, however, and later in the afternoon the trainer extended his great record in this sphere to include victory in all five runnings of the G2 Daylesford Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.

This time around he struck with the Flat-bred Concertista (Fr) (Nathaniel {Ire}), a product of the Wertheimer brothers’ breeding operation who won over ten furlongs in France for Christophe Ferland before being sold for €75,000 at the Arqana Summer Sale. The half-sister to the stakes-winning duo of Slalom (Fr) and Folamour (GB), both by Intello {Ger}), was second in this race last year, beaten only a short-head on her hurdles debut, and her first jumps victory came by a margin of 12 lengths over stable-mate Dolcito (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Ire}).

“I forget we hadn’t won a maiden with Concertista during her career with us, so it’s nice to get off the mark in this event,” said Mullins.

“We’ll probably go to Fairyhouse with her next, but there are lots of options further down the line. She has a nice mark on the Flat so we might use that at some stage. Owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede have a lot of runners in France so we could take her there.”

He added, “She is turning into the mare I thought we had bought at Deauville. She was a very immature sort when we bought her. I never dreamt she would grow into the big mare she is now. She is very strong and today’s test of stamina really brought out the best in her.”

Plenty To Celebrate For Curtis
Despite the Irish surging ahead in the annual Prestbury Cup challenge, there was success for the home team in one of the two big races of the day, the G1 Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, in which the Rebecca Curtis-trained Lisnagar Oscar (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) sprang a 50-1 surprise success over Ronald Pump (GB) (Schiaparelli {Ger}).

The Welsh trainer celebrated the arrival of her baby daughter just 14 weeks ago and was delighted to be back in the limelight with a fifth victory at the Festival.

She said, “I thought he had a big chance today. I didn’t think he would beat [last year’s winner] Paisley Park (Ire), but I thought he’d be placed. To see him improve that much, I’m just delighted. I was just thinking, ‘don’t get caught, don’t get caught’. This has come at a time when I need it. I’m trying to rebuild the yard. I’ve had four winners here before, but it’s been five years, so it’s just great to win another one.”

For Emma Lavelle, the trainer of returning hero Paisley Park, there was disappointment as her stable star crossed the line in seventh having never really been in a position to challenge. She said, “He seems absolutely fine. He didn’t jump quite as fluently as normal. Whether that is ground-related or something else, I just don’t know. It’s obviously disappointing, but it’s just one of those things.”

She’s Apple’s
The Stayers’ Hurdle also marked the end of the career of the brilliant mare Apple’s Jade (Fr) (Saddler Maker {Ire}). The 8-year-old gave it a good last rattle in her swansong, setting a fierce pace up front in partnership with champion jockey Richard Johnson before capitulating between the final two flights and finishing eighth.

Apple’s Jade compiled a tremendous record of 15 wins from 28 starts, contributing 11 Grade 1 successes to the century of top-flight victories for her owner Gigginstown House Stud, who confimed her retirement after the race. On her day she was dazzling.

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