Murphy lays down the law at Cheltenham
L’Antartique stormed up the famous Cheltenham hill to repeat his Festival success in a Paddy Power Gold Cup heavily tinged with sadness.
Favourite-backers suffered the horror of watching 3-1 favourite Granit Jack crumple on landing when leading at the penultimate fence, after which the strong-travelling grey tragically failed to get back up.
That compounded a bleak day for champion trainer Paul Nicholls after his stable jockey Ruby Walsh suffered a dislocated shoulder when parting company with the ill-fated Willyanwoody earlier in the afternoon.
Those in the packed stands had sent L’Antartique off as the 13-2 second-favourite, and he was roared home as Graham Lee produced the seven-year-old to lead just after the last.
Winner of the Jewson Novices’ Chase at the track in March, he crept round the inner under Lee before making his challenge on the far side.
There were a handful in with a chance on the run-in but the resolute L’Antartique kept on best of all to hold Il Duce by a neck, with Knowhere and Palarshan close up in third and fourth.
The winner’s trainer Ferdy Murphy is renowned for capturing major races in the spring, but signalled his intent on securing the £120,000 handicap when the Tony Durkan-owned winner scored at Carlisle two weeks ago.
Murphy said: “Everything has gone really well for him. He was a little bit more forward than we thought for his prep run.
“He had a real top man on top and that’s the important thing.
“Going to the top of the hill I thought he was going to get trapped but he knew what he was doing and he got out.
“We had about six or seven horses for this race and we had to decide which were going to go for it.
“We could have kept Granit Jack out, but we didn’t as we didn’t think it would be sporting.
“This fellow will probably go to the Lexus Chase now (at Leopardstown on December 28) – his owner lives near the track and I am sure he will be twisting my arm to run!”
The winner had been trained by Tony Mullins in his early days, and Murphy added: “He was a good horse when I got him.
“But he didn’t take well to hurdles in Ireland and it took a long time to get him jumping and get his confidence.
“He is a nice horse and I hope he will improve from a handicapper and his pedigree is screaming three miles at you. He is always staying on at the end of his races.”
Lee added: “I am buzzing and have had a great day, but Ruby is not in such good shape and my thoughts are with him as he had a mother and father of a fall.
“I got stopped once or twice on the way round, but that almost did him a favour as he was able to fill his lungs.
“When I got the split on the rails he picked up really well.
“They went very quick and he jumped superb – it’s the best he’s jumped. The boss said to me in the Jewson last season just to tough it out from the top of the hill.
“I wasn’t really concerned when he started to freewheel down the hill and I got there too soon again.
“He’s a tough horse. It’s natural ability and he’s got a lot of it.”
Granit Jack had just scraped in at the foot of the weights and connections had been harbouring Champion Chase ambitions for the talented five-year-old.
His career ended in tragedy and Nicholls said: “He was dead when we got there.
“He was jumping so well at that point and I don’t even think it was a mistake.
“I’m a bit mystified, I think it must have been something to do with his landing.”
Alan King was responsible for the Robert Thornton-ridden runner-up Il Duce, and he said: “I am thrilled but ’Choc’ (Thornton) was slightly disappointed.
“He jumped and travelled and for his first run back that was proper. All being well he will come back here in December.”
Knowhere’s trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies said: “If he comes out of this OK, then it looks like it will be the Hennessy next.”
