THE NEW ONE has won the stanjames.com International Hurdle for the third time, following an impressive front-running display at Cheltenham.
Having won in both 2013 and 2014, the 13/8 favourite rode by Richard Johnson faced competition from My Tent Or Yours but held on to prevail by three and a half lengths.
The champion jockey was riding the eight-year-old, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies for the first time after his intended pilot was injured in a fall at Cheltenham on Friday.
“He’s a lovely old horse and I’m very lucky to ride him today. Poor Ryan Hatch had a nasty fall yesterday, I’m sure he’s watching frustrated but hopefully he’ll be back soon,” Johnson said after the race.
“I was very pleased to get the ride, Sam (Twiston-Davies) told me how to ride him, he said he stays well and he kept finding. He really jumped the last quick and well and he’s outstayed them really.
“He won here as a novice over two-five and they’ve always known he stays well. Maybe as he has got older he has lost some of his speed and Nigel told me to be positive.
“He’s been a great horse, this is the third time he’s won this race and very few horses do that and keep at this level for so long. I don’t know if he will go chasing, but it was a great decision to run him today.”
Meanwhile, another Twiston-Davies-trained horse ran to victory in the 2.25 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.
13/8 favourite Wholestone handled the testing conditions in admirable fashion to see off stiff competition from Ami Desbois.
Wholestone had to dig deep for Daryl Jacob to gain the verdict by a length.
Defi Du Seuil, trained by Phillip Hobbs, and jockey B J Geraghty claimed the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle, while Alana King’s Coeur de Lion finished second.
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