Cooper celebrates Fontwell high by throwing away whip
Robert Cooper threw his whip away passing the line in a moment of irony after winning the SIS Live Handicap Chase at Fontwell.
The amateur jockey, 34, had endured the most tumultuous day of his riding career as he had earlier been suspended for 52 days for misuse of the stick by the British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel.
Cooper had been found to have used his whip 23 times in a hurdle at Uttoxeter on December 31, when he was ending a losing run stretching back almost 12 years.
Thankfully, his mount Mortimers Cross (7-2) needed no such persuasion to win by a comfortable 19 lengths.
Cooper had initially suggested he might be reconsidering his future as a jockey, but said: “I’m still a bit annoyed about it, but rules are rules and I can’t do anything about it.
“I’m not a jockey who is known for using the stick and it’s the first ban I’ve ever had. I showed I didn’t need to use it there, but I threw my whip away and I imagine I’ll be fined for that too!
“I’ve got a bit of a holiday now to think about things but Mortimers Cross is an absolute star and he’s a horse that gives you the buzz to keep going.”
Sarah Humphrey is enjoying such a lucrative season even a first Cheltenham Festival winner could not be dismissed out of hand and Carpincho joined the Cambridgeshire trainer’s potential party.
Humphrey has already reached 22 for 2011-12, having not exceeded single figures for a jumping year until now, but just as impressive is the fact her West Wratting yard is operating at a strike-rate of over 30% with a level-stakes profit of over £50.
Carpincho, a winner at Market Rasen and third behind Time For Rupert and The Giant Bolster at Newbury, looked the picture of health that Humphrey’s string invariably do and went off the 8-11 favourite in the Crohn’s In Children Research Association Novices’ Chase.
Sherwani Wolf provided the most resistance of his two opponents but passed up his chance with a jolting mistake at the final fence to finish 15 lengths down.
“I’m very pleased with that – we were worried about him getting cover so we thought he should take them along and get into a rhythm,” Humphrey said.
“He’ll go to Cheltenham now at the end of the month, and the big plan is to take him back there for the Byrne Group Plate at the Festival. He does like it on the soft side, but would have preferred a galloping track.”
Elaborating on other Cheltenham runners, Humphrey added: “We might well run Court Red Handed in the four-miler and Dorset Square in the Pertemps.”
Marodima (5-1) has fallen some way since his Festival days with Paul Nicholls but showed how formidable he can be at a lower level in the Horton’s Steam Fair Handicap Chase.
Now with Jamie Snowden and returning from a 219-day layoff, he did not see another rival to pass the post a scarcely believable 53 lengths clear.
“He’s had plenty of problems along the way but that was a fantastic display,” said Snowden.
“He had the pace to lead them in the Champion Chase, so that was always going to make him hard to catch at Fontwell, and he jumps so well.
“I expect the handicapper is going to murder him and he’s in at Warwick at the weekend, so we’ll see how he comes out of the race.”
Jeremy Scott’s 40-1 shot What Er Say crept virtually unnoticed up the stands rail in the Blue Square Staying Novices’ Hurdle and finished a length up on Bold Chief, who made a slight mistake at the last flight.
“He ran so badly at Hereford and I thought he’d hate the ground but we thought we should run as we needed to get him handicapped,” said Scott. “I didn’t think he’d win until he went over fences but he’s showed that he can.”
Dirty Deal (9-1), who needed the persuasion of trainer Tony Carroll in order to jump off, ground out victory in the Docker Hughes Memorial Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
Jockey Lee Edwards was later given a five-day ban (January 26-30) for excessive use of the whip.
Jim Best’s King Of Castile (11-4) followed up under a 7lb penalty in the Welcome To Baby Joshua Warren Handicap Hurdle.
