Latest news with #GoldenAce
The Herald Scotland
02-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Henderson left to ‘unravel the mystery' with Constitution Hill
He was all the rage to get his career back on track as the 8-13 favourite, but there were early warning signs for his supporters as he briefly shied away from the starting tapes and then gave the first flight plenty of air and landed steeply. The eight-year-old did make some ground in the back straight under James Bowen, who was deputising in the saddle for the sidelined Nico de Boinville, but the Seven Barrows superstar had no more to give from the home turn and eventually trailed home a very lacklustre fifth, beaten 27 lengths. Henderson said: 'It's disappointing, but it's a tough game. 'It was sad he had to be beaten that way because you could live with going down in a battle. He was beaten two out and James looked after him. 'Something has obviously gone wrong because that's not him and our job is to try to unravel the mystery. He's got such a great mind, nothing worries him, but you can't look inside his head. 'He's very uncomplicated, unflustered and his work was good. He was travelling well turning in, but then it was like flicking a switch.' At the request of the raceday stewards, Constitution Hill was examined by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board veterinary officer after the race and was found to be sore and have grazes to his right-hind cannon bone. The post-race reaction was far more positive from trainer Jeremy Scott, whose stable star Golden Ace proved her shock Champion Hurdle success at Cheltenham was no fluke with a fine effort to finish second to the front-running State Man. Golden Ace profited from the State Man's final-flight exit at Prestbury and while she was unable to lay a glove on him in the rematch, Scott was understandably proud of her performance in defeat. He said: 'I'm gutted we weren't good enough to win, but I'm delighted with her. 'She was staying on at the end and today she probably needed a little bit further, ideally. 'I was so impressed with the way she jumped today, she travelled really well, she just didn't have that kick that the winner had, but I think the first three have all run very well and it's quite nice we've got as close to State Man as we have, because I rather felt everyone assumed we'd be beaten a mile. 'If you'd had the Cheltenham hill in front of you, that might have just sapped the stamina of State Man, who knows? I feel slightly more vindicated anyway. 'She might not start next season quite so early, but we'll see how she is in the autumn and take it day by day. I couldn't be happier with her today anyway, without winning.'
Telegraph
02-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Jeremy Scott interview: Farmer turned trainer who has his own ‘barmy army' of fans
The sign off the 'main' road – as main as they get on Exmoor – is as unassuming as the trainer of this season's Champion Hurdle; on the verge, 'JS Racing' competes for daylight with wild garlic and primroses. In a sport increasingly dominated by a few big players, the signpost to Jeremy Scott's farm might equally direct you to a place called 'Hope' after Golden Ace won the hurdling crown at Cheltenham last month for her 35-horse stable. The bare outcome does not tell the whole story; that the two previous champions, Constitution Hill and State Man, both fell. But, in racing, it is surprising how often what might be termed a 'funny' result is proved less of a fluke in time. Scott, 63, hopes that the Boodles Punchestown Champion Hurdle, when the three champions meet again on Irish turf, proves to be one of those moments. Either way, to have the Champion Hurdle winner, standing in his converted dairy farm, is remarkable for someone who started out with a couple of pointers for no better reason than to get him and his wife, Camilla, off the place occasionally. Golden Ace was bought by her owner, Ian Gosden, for £12,000. He went up to the sales, deviated away from the selection which his advisers had come up with and did his own thing. As Gosden quite freely admits, he does not like being told 'no', it just hardens his resolve. 'That's probably what made him a successful businessman,' Scott says. 'He is used to making his own decisions and not relying on others. She just needed time to mature. She didn't run for us until she was nearly five. She's not flash, she doesn't scatter the sheep, but her work's improved. She does seem to keep her best for the racecourse. She improved again to Cheltenham and, if anything, she's better now than all season.' Scott says that the Champion Hurdle result did not sink in until the pay cheque dropped in his bank account. If it had been up to him, she might not even have run in the race, as he was favouring going for the easier option of the Mares' Hurdle over the longer trip of 2½ miles. 'There had been all this to-ing and fro-ing about whether we'd go for the Champion or Mares' Hurdle. Both Lorcan [Williams, jockey] and myself thought the Mares' would be easier. I think Ian, in his heart of hearts, was always determined to run in the Champion but he indulged us, going along with the Mares' for a bit. 'He felt third or fourth in the Champion, prize-money-wise, equated to winning the Mares', but I'd always prefer a winner and to bathe in champagne. When the decision was made, the nice thing was, suddenly there was no pressure. I was just hopeful we'd manage the first three. 'You never like to see a horse fall, so when Constitution Hill went down, I didn't suddenly think 'whoopie-do, we've a chance of the first two'. State Man was going well coming down the hill, Brighterdaysahead was still there and we could be third. We crept back up on Brighterdaysahead and I was getting a bit excited we'd be second and then State Man topples over. The rest is a complete blur. It's the sort of thing you dream about.' Wow... Golden Ace wins a drama-fuelled Champion Hurdle 👀 — Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 11, 2025 As the 25-1 Golden Ace arrived in the winner's enclosure, a large, vociferous West Country section of the crowd started chanting Scott's name long and loudly. 'It's nice having your own barmy army,' he points out. 'It's a good job they were there. Everyone was so shocked. But to be fair, once they'd computed it, the crowd cheered her like a champion when she was paraded round the paddock. 'People have been incredibly gracious and kind, punters and fellow trainers, it has helped give people hope I think. This game is so much about hope. It's possible. Sometimes you take a punt – for which I take no credit – and it comes off.' It was Scott's father, Michael – inspired by an uncle who farmed in Somerset – who bought 400-acre Higher Holworthy Farm, now overlooking Wimbleball Lake, after the Second World War. 'Dad absolutely hated horses,' Scott says. 'Mother came down from Northumberland to groom on the neighbouring farm so, conveniently, a girlfriend arrived on the doorstep. She was all horses. I was the only one of three siblings who stuck at them, though. This is all Camilla's fault we've done this! I was happily farming away, milking cows and doing the sheep. 'In fairness, cows were giving us up. We were milking in the wrong place. When father started, every farm milked a few cows but there were only two of us left on the Brendon Hills in the end. We had difficulty in getting people to pick the milk up and all the food was dearer to drag up here.' He still has 500 ewes – lambing is dictated by the weather so coincides with Aintree and not Cheltenham – while it was the arrival of Gone To Lunch, better than a pointer, who proved the catalyst to his becoming a professional trainer in 2006. 'He ran at the Festival five times, was favourite for the 2009 RSA at one stage, nosedived at the fifth, ran in the Scottish National, was just touched off for second, then turned out again for Punchestown, where he was second in a Grade One,' Scott says. 'Lamb's been good for the last couple of years but, of all the things I could have done, being a farmer and trainer is the least profitable,' he points out, not entirely in jest. 'But the two things work quite well together and having the farm means we have a bit of space for the horses. If you're in Lambourn or Newmarket, you have to pay someone to take the muck away, I've got a very handy place to spread it. It does put pressure on at certain times of the year but, ultimately, the horses come first. 'We never had a goal, a couple of point-to-pointers purely to have a bit of fun. Someone asked us to train one for them and it grew from there. You're always asked as a child what you're going to do and the right answer is 'I don't know'. That's half the fun of life, hopefully it takes you off somewhere.'
Irish Examiner
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Henderson relishing Punchestown 'decider'
Constitution Hill, State Man, and Golden Ace are all set for what Nicky Henderson is calling a "decider" in the Boodles Champion Hurdle at Punchestown on Friday evening. There were gasps aplenty when Constitution Hill crashed out four from home in a remarkable Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham — and those in the stands did not get much time to recover before State Man exited at the last with the race looking at his mercy. Jeremy Scott's mare Golden Ace took full advantage to triumph at 25-1 in the hands of Lorcan Williams, with Burdett Road second at 66-1. An upbeat Henderson said after enjoying a one-two with Jeriko Du Reponet and Doddiethegreat at the Kildare track on Thursday: "Constitution Hill arrived last night and with him it wouldn't matter where he was. It just doesn't bother him one dot. If he got flustered, I'd be worried! "He's in good form and it will be a fascinating race and it is a decider between three of them really, and there's three others in the race as well." Constitution Hill also fell at Aintree, and Henderson went on: "These falls are pretty stupid at the end of the day and I hope we've got them out of our vocabulary and we can have a clean fight." With Nico de Boinville sidelined, James Bowen will ride Constitution Hill for the first time, and Henderson added: "It's good for everybody that the two horses (Jeriko Du Reponet and Doddiethegreat) have come and run like that. It's great for James. He had a good walk around with Barry (Geraghty) and he knows where he is going." Bowen said after was a confidence-boosting success with Jeriko Du Reponet: "I've never had a winner over in Ireland, so it's great. "I've worked him (Constitution Hill) and schooled him and hopefully all goes well. I didn't ride him (this morning), but I saw him out and he looks good." Scott, meanwhile, is hopeful Golden Ace can repeat the trick in what is undoubtedly a must-see event. The Somerset trainer said: "She's very well. I'm very, very happy with her. She left on Wednesday morning and I'm very happy with the preparation. "Who knows what would have happened had they stood up, but we'll get a bit more of an answer. It's a different track, and from my point of perspective huge expectation, but obviously we'd like her to prove herself a worthy Champion Hurdle winner. "That was always the plan (a rest) having had a couple of quick runs so she's going there fresh and well. "They're telling me they are aiming for good to soft and if they achieve that then I'll be very happy on that." Following her trip to Ireland the daughter of Golden Horn will have a well-earned summer break before a likely shot at defending her title at the Cheltenham Festival next season. Scott added: "(She'll have) a good holiday. I would imagine the Champion Hurdle is the plan again next season. We'll get through Friday and it slightly depends on how that goes and that guides you where you'll end up, but all things being equal I think that's where we'd like to go again." Like Constitution Hill, State Man is out for redemption and Patrick Mullins, assistant trainer to his father, Willie, is relishing the opportunity. The 2024 Champion Hurdle victor looked all set to go back-to-back when his spill at the final obstacle handed victory to Golden Ace on a plate. He is bidding to win this particular prize for the third year in succession, and Mullins said: "State Man was unlucky and lucky at Cheltenham. "It was an awful fall. It was great that he got up. He seemed 100 per cent afterwards. It doesn't seem to have knocked his confidence at all so it's going to be fascinating to see the two English horses come over and take him on, on home soil. "I think he was well in the process of redeeming his reputation at Cheltenham and I would be expecting him to redeem it even further at Punchestown, so bring it on!" Mullins also has Cheltenham Festival winner Kargese in the field, with the six-strong line-up completed by Ian Donoghue's Break My Soul and Aidan Melia's Bottler'secret.
The Herald Scotland
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Crack hurdlers poised for eagerly-awaited Punchestown ‘decider'
Jeremy Scott's mare Golden Ace took full advantage to triumph at 25-1 in the hands of Lorcan Williams, with Burdett Road second at 66-1. DRAMA IN THE BIG ONE! 😲 Golden Ace wins the @UnibetRacing Champion Hurdle after both Constitution Hill and State Man fall 🤯 — CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) March 11, 2025 An upbeat Henderson said after enjoying a one-two with Jeriko Du Reponet and Doddiethegreat at the Kildare track on Thursday: 'Constitution Hill arrived last night and with him it wouldn't matter where he was. It just doesn't bother him one dot. If he got flustered, I'd be worried! 'He's in good form and it will be a fascinating race and it is a decider between three of them really, and there's three others in the race as well.' Constitution Hill also fell at Aintree, and Henderson went on: 'These falls are pretty stupid at the end of the day and I hope we've got them out of our vocabulary and we can have a clean fight.' With Nico de Boinville sidelined, James Bowen will ride Constitution Hill for the first time, and Henderson added: 'It's good for everybody that the two horses (Jeriko Du Reponet and Doddiethegreat) have come and run like that. It's great for James. He had a good walk around with Barry (Geraghty) and he knows where he is going.' James Bowen celebrates victory with Jeriko Du Reponet (Brian Lawless/PA) Bowen said after was a confidence-boosting success with Jeriko Du Reponet: 'I've never had a winner over in Ireland, so it's great. 'I've worked him (Constitution Hill) and schooled him and hopefully all goes well. I didn't ride him (this morning), but I saw him out and he looks good.' Scott, meanwhile, is hopeful Golden Ace can repeat the trick in what is undoubtedly a must-see event. The Somerset trainer said: 'She's very well. I'm very, very happy with her. She left on Wednesday morning and I'm very happy with the preparation. 'Who knows what would have happened had they stood up, but we'll get a bit more of an answer. It's a different track, and from my point of perspective huge expectation, but obviously we'd like her to prove herself a worthy Champion Hurdle winner. Trainer Jeremy Scott celebrates Golden Ace's Champion Hurdle success (David Davies/The Jockey Club) 'That was always the plan (a rest) having had a couple of quick runs so she's going there fresh and well. 'They're telling me they are aiming for good to soft and if they achieve that then I'll be very happy on that.' Following her trip to Ireland the daughter of Golden Horn will have a well-earned summer break before a likely shot at defending her title at the Cheltenham Festival next season. Scott added: '(She'll have) a good holiday. I would imagine the Champion Hurdle is the plan again next season. We'll get through Friday and it slightly depends on how that goes and that guides you where you'll end up, but all things being equal I think that's where we'd like to go again.' Lorcan Williams aboard Golden Ace at Cheltenham (Adam Davy/PA) Like Constitution Hill, State Man is out for redemption and Patrick Mullins, assistant trainer to his father, Willie, is relishing the opportunity. The 2024 Champion Hurdle victor looked all set to go back-to-back when his spill at the final obstacle handed victory to Golden Ace on a plate. He is bidding to win this particular prize for the third year in succession, and Mullins said: 'State Man was unlucky and lucky at Cheltenham. 'It was an awful fall. It was great that he got up. He seemed 100 per cent afterwards. It doesn't seem to have knocked his confidence at all so it's going to be fascinating to see the two English horses come over and take him on, on home soil. 'I think he was well in the process of redeeming his reputation at Cheltenham and I would be expecting him to redeem it even further at Punchestown, so bring it on!' Mullins also has Cheltenham Festival winner Kargese in the field, with the six-strong line-up completed by Ian Donoghue's Break My Soul and Aidan Melia's Bottler'secret.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'I haven't stopped watching it' - Williams on Cheltenham win
Lorcan Williams had to make a decision between horse racing and rugby when he was a teenager. After winning the Champion Hurdle on Golden Ace, he's convinced he made the right call. "It hasn't sunk in, I feel very lucky, it's hard to put into words, it's one of those things you don't think will ever happen," he told BBC Sport Wales. "I haven't stopped watching it, I just leave it on pause on TV and watch it over and over." Golden Ace, who capitalised on the falls of previous victors Constitution Hill and State Man, wasn't originally planned to go for the Champion Hurdle. "We were waiting to see if Lossiemouth would go for the Mares or Champion Hurdle," he explained. "She's obviously a very talented horse, so we were leaning towards the Mares with the level of competition in the Champion Hurdle. "The owner, Ian Gosden, decided we'd go for the Champion Hurdle because there's some good prize money if we finish in the places, so of course me and Jeremy [Scott, trainer] were happy to be on board." Golden Ace started as a 25-1 outsider with Constitution Hill leading the market. "The early stages of the race I was very happy, when I turned in for home I thought she was running a cracker, even when State Man came down at the last, I never thought it was over, it's a long way to the line when you're left out front on your own," he added. "I couldn't believe it when I crossed the line, I was hoping that both horses and jockeys that fell were alright, it was just such an incredible feeling." Golden Ace's win secured a £255,000 prize for the team, whilst Lossiemouth cruised to victory to retain her Mares' Hurdle and secured a third triumph at the festival. Golden Ace's trainer Jeremy Scott has indicated the seven-year-old will now head to the Punchestown festival. "I'm revved for that, it'll be a nice potential rematch with Constitution Hill and State Man, I haven't ridden at Punchestown since I was 17 so I can't wait to back," he added. Williams was a keen rugby player as a youngster and played at county level before being picked up by Scarlets. But he was given an ultimatum by his parents before making the tough call to pursue a career in horse racing over rugby. "I loved playing rugby, I took a year out from riding when I was younger and played a lot of rugby, I got picked to play for my county and then the Scarlets," he explained. "I was a full-back and flanker, I was just happy being on the pitch. "I was riding before I could walk, I had horses and ponies all my life, it was always my passion, I loved the adrenaline of speed and the daredevil side of being a jockey. "My mother and father sat me down and said 'what do you want to do?'. "I had to decide, when I had my first ride as an amateur and I was just hooked on the racing from then. "I still love watching the rugby, me and some mates went to France a few years back. I watch every game, even when I'm riding on the weekends, I'll be watching the games in the weighing room. "Next year I want to give it a right good go, I've probably been coasting a bit, this win has given me a kick up the backside to push myself more than ever, I'm going to give it a real good go." Latest horse racing results
