Shropshire’s biggest horse racing owners were today celebrating another big-race National Hunt success.
Cosford owner John Hales was on hand to watch Neptune Collonges clinch a second successive success in the Guinness Gold Cup at the Punchestown Festival in Ireland.
Given a calculated and positive ride by Ruby Walsh, the seven-year-old always looked like justifying odds-on favouritism – he was returned a 9-10 shot – to give trainer Paul Nicholls another notable victory.
And it proved the spark for a night of celebration for the family and friends of Hales.
“The whole family were over and it was quite a night,” said John’s daughter Lisa. “There were 30 of us for dinner and that included Jim Lewis and Paul. I think the party went on until about 3.30am.
“But it was a great day. Ruby gave him a fantastic ride and he said afterwards that he knew he was going to win when they were going down to the start – he felt that good.”
After a summer break, the James Nicholson Champion Chase at Down Royal or the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby are being touted as possible season openers next term.
And ‘Team Hales’ are confident of further improvement from a horse who finished just seven lengths adrift of Denman and a head behind Kauto Star in March’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, where Nicholls enjoyed a 1-2-3.
“Ruby and Paul both think there’s still more to come and he does seem to keep improving,” said Lisa. “I’m sure we will come here and try and complete the hat-trick and hopefully go to Cheltenham again.
“People may have thought his run in the Gold Cup was a bit of a fluke but I think we have dispelled that here.”
John Hales added: “He’s a wonderful horse with a perfect temperament, nothing phases him.”
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