A BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE from Jody McGarvey resulted in Janidil winning today’s Underwriting Exchange Gold Cup at Fairyhouse, as Willie Mullins delivered a one/two/three in the Novices Steeplechase.
In a fascinating race, one that saw Andy Dufresne jump superbly before running out of steam after the second last, Janidil burst from the crowd and got its reward for a fine jumping performance by winning with a degree of comfort.
Two of Mullins’ other horses, Franco De Port and Asterion Forlonge, finished second and third, four and seven lengths respectively behind Janidil.
For jockey McGarvey, it completed a perfect day, his second Grade 1 win of the afternoon – after guiding Skyace to the Novice Hurdle win – and his third big victory of the weekend. “It is absolutely unbelievable,” he said afterwards. “Week in and week out, you work hard and you always want to be in these races.
“I’m grateful to have the chance to ride a horse as good as this in a race like this. These chances don’t come along too often.”
The secret is knowing how to take them and McGarvey did. Early on, he stayed patient as Asterion Forlonge, Andy Dufresne and Conflated made all the running – but as the pace intensified with two to jump, Janidil emerged. His jumping was excellent, especially over the final two jumps.
“He took a heavy fall the last day,” said McGarvey. “But he seems to have learned a lot from it.
“He never missed a beat out there. I was always happy; he jumped the second last really well and thankfully he put the race to bed early.”
