Contraband wins the Arkle

Contraband handed trainer Martin Pipe and owner David Johnson their second consecutive victory in the Irish Independent Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham today.

Timmy Murphy gave the 7-1 shot his usual patient ride and took it up at the last before running on strongly to beat front-runner Ashley Brook, who made a mistake at the final obstacle, by a length.

River City ran well on his return from a 142-day absence to finish four lengths further back in third.

There was a scare for connections of the winner when a stewards’ inquiry was called as Contraband appeared to cross in front of the runner-up coming up the hill.

Murphy told Channel 4: “I thought I had gone by him, but it’s hard to know in the heat of the moment.”

After a few minutes’ deliberation, however, the stewards announced the placings remained unaltered.

Murphy added: “Paddy’s (Brennan) horse is not a bad horse and I didn’t think he would stop. Contraband is a funny old horse. He’s got his quirks, but he’s got lots of ability.”

Contraband was following in the footsteps of stablemate Well Chief, who landed the race last year under Tony McCoy.

Pipe said: “I didn’t like the inquiry going on a long time, but you have got to have luck on your side. I can’t wait to see the head-on and see what happened.

“It is great to win – I tipped him on Radio Bristol this morning. I said it was my nap of the meeting.

“He jumped well and travelled well. It is always a fast pace in the Arkle and that helped him, and the ground played its part too.”

Ashley Brook’s trainer Kevin Bishop said: “I think if he had landed running over the last he would have won, but he pecked quite badly, unfortunately.

“He has had sore shins and we thought possibly of not running him.

“We had him 100 per cent fit, but unfortunately the shins were not quite 100 per cent. But there is only one novice year and only one Arkle.

“He will probably be sore in the morning, but if he is not as bad as we fear he might be, he could run again.

“I don’t know whether we would go for the Queen Mother next year, we were thinking more of the staying races. We will have to see, but he does have so much early speed.

“I think he will get three miles and he hasn’t done badly for a horse that cost £3,000 running against horses which have cost hundreds of thousands.”

Noel Chance, trainer of River City, who was having his first run since beating Contraband at Aintree in October, said: “I am delighted with that. He’s done nothing wrong and the flatter track at Liverpool will suit him. That’s where we go now.

“He’s done well after a long time off but there’s only so much you can do at home and he can only improve.”

The Mouse Morris-trained War Of Attrition was heavily backed, but despite being sent off the 11-4 favourite he did not play a part in the finish.

Close to the pace early on, the six-year-old made several mistakes and dropped out of contention before the turn for home.