By Peter Moore at Newbury Saturday 1st March 2025
Leading jump jockey Sean Bowen produced an incredible ride on bottom weight Booster Bob to win the feature race of day two of the Bet Victor Weekend, The BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup Chase on Saturday at Newbury.
With a circuit to go in the 2m 4f handicap, Bowen had dropped the seven-year-old at the back off the field. Fully forty lengths behind the leaders the gelding looked well beaten. But thoughts of pulling up Booster Bob were well of the champion jockey elect’s mind as he started to build up a terrific amount of speed to get to within the leading bunch with two fences to go.
At one time odds of 880-1 in running looked accurate but after the second last the initiative was with Bowen who kept the horse running on to win by 1 ¼ lengths from Vincenzo.
Last season’s champion jockey Harry Cobden bagged a double on the day after winning the last two races of the meeting.
Guard Duty backed up his impressive performance at the Windsor Winter Million meeting with another assured showing by winning with plenty in hand over the 2m 4f to beat Go To War by a length to give the large number of Owners Group syndicate members plenty to shout about in attendance at the course.
Cobden quickly brought up his double after Heron In The Park bolted up to win by 2 ¼ lengths in the bumper.
The five-year-old cost £280,000 and us closely related to a smart 2m hurdles Glory And Fortune and half sister to 2 winners. She recently won an Irish point to point in December and looked a horse to look out for under trainer Tom George.
Jurancon continued his remarkable record of never being out of the first two after completing a 2 ½ length victory over Lario in the 2m 1/2f handicap hurdle under Jack Tudor for David Pipe.
Jasmine De Grugy was bidding to complete a 6 timer but was thwarted in his bid by bottom weight Rivers Corner who was returning back to a longer trip, by hanging on to get the better of Zertakt by 3 ¾ lengths.
The decision to run Authentic Legacy back down in trip paid of for Gary & Josh Moore after the five-year-old took the Conditional Jockeys Novices Handicap Hurdle.
Turning for home, all six runners were in a line before Razzle Dazzle Boy joined the five-year-old at the head of affairs. Approaching the last flight there was little to separate the pair but a bad jump from Razzle Dazzle Boy handed the initiative to Authentic Legacy to go on and win by 3 ¼ lengths.
Three weeks ago in the Denman Chase at the same course, Sam Brown finished fourth of seven. Trainer Anthony Honeyball saddled three runners in the opener today including Sam Brown. The drip in class clearly benefited the experience 13-year-old who led at the last to go on and win nicely by three lengths under 10lb claimer Chad Bament to take the opener, 24 hours previously after winning on King Of The Land.