By Peter Moore at Newbury Saturday 22nd March 2025
Cheltenham trainer Fergal O’Brien enjoyed the perfect start to his weekend after completing a cross card treble.
Having watched Leloopa win the Class 2 novices mares handicap hurdle at Kelso, it was down to the business in hand at Newbury with the likeable Irish man saddling Siog Geal to take the feature race of the final day’s jump racing of the season on Bet Victor Jumps Finale day.
On handicap debut, Siog Geal relished the longer trip despite wandering a little after jumping the last in the lead. Jockey Jonathan Burke pushed the button with the horse picking up nicely to go on and win by 6 ½ lengths.
Thirty five minutes later the same combination were back in the winners enclosure when the odds on shot John Barbour prevailed in the 2m ½ f novices hurdle.
The original field of ten was reduced in half with five going to post.
Still a novice, John Harbour made some slight errors, but was still to strong for the field after jumping the last in the lead and pulling away to win by 7 1/2 lengths, much to the sheer delight of a large number of his owners from the Old Gold Racing Syndicate.
There was a magnificent finish to the opener on the card with the Tim Vaughan trained Kalium just getting up on the line to beat Norn Iron by a neck.
To say Bhaloo’s last three runs have been disappointing would be an understatement, however those efforts were certainly down to the ground. With today’s conditions in his favour the seven-year-old resumed winning ways under Nico de Boinville to get the better of Scarface by 1 1/2 lengths to win the 2m 4f Class 2 handicap chase.
Leading trainer Dan Skelton may have one hand on the trainers championship – although he won’t admit it – but the Alcester trainer bagged another pot of £59,000 to strengthen his lead at the top after another smart bumper winner Kadastral made it over 20 bumper winners for the season- his highest total for bumper winners in a season.
The five-year-old went one better than his debut under rules by quickening nicely to win going away by 3 ¼ lengths.
Ballybreeze has been tumbling down the weights, with him running off his current mark of 108.
After being off for 9 weeks the nine-year-old finished third of five at this C&D just over three weeks ago.
An improved run was needed, with the bottom weight taking advantage of Javert Allen’s blunder coming into the straight. At the last there was three in a line, with Ballybreeze quickening to go on and win by 4 ¼ lengths under Sam Twiston-Davies.