Sean Bowen produced a remarkable riding performance as Booster Bob came from a distance behind to win the BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Newbury.
With Saint Segal and favourite Billytherealbigred setting a stiff early gallop, Booster Bob appeared to be taken off his feet in the early stages, and was soon well detached from the main group.
As the field began to thin out there seemed to be no way back for Booster Bob, who still was not making up ground with a mile to run as Saint Segal kept up the relentless pace.
That proved too much for Paul Nicholls’ Coral Gold Cup winner Kandoo Kid, who never threatened to get involved, but Vincenzo suddenly appeared on the scene, looking to give Sam Thomas another big Saturday win after Katate Dori last week.
From nowhere, though, Booster Bob began to run on through beaten horses and, even before jumping the last, the result began to look inevitable as Olly Murphy’s seven-year-old was gaining ground with every stride.
The 16/1 chance eventually crossed the line a length and a quarter clear of Vincenzo, with Saint Segal staying on for third.
The trophy presentation after Booster Bob won the 2025 Greatwood Gold Cup
Bowen, currently leading the race to be champion jockey, told Sky Sports Racing: “I don’t know how that happened!
“I actually fancied him coming into today because he’s a weird horse, he’s got loads of ability. We’ve probably been wrong running him over two miles when most of the time it looks like he wants three. It just shows what they can do sometimes.
“He was careful with his jumping. He’s a strange old horse, he actually wants softer ground and was changing his legs on the way round but as he warmed up, his jumping got faster.
“When we passed one he sort of got into it then and when he passed a few more, he took off. From the back of the ditch I felt I could win.
“It’s great for Grahame (Whateley) as he’s a big supporter of Olly’s, so it’s great to get him a big winner. We’ve had lots of winners for him but it’s nice to land a big one.”
Murphy said: “I was thinking I was getting sacked and I was thinking Sean Bowen was too halfway round!
Winning trainer Olly Murphy
“It was quite remarkable. He just couldn’t go early and halfway I wanted him to pull up and save him for next week, but he took off.
“He’s a very good work horse, stepping up in trip today has helped. We dropped him in because he can be keen. It was a disaster really but it’s worked out!
“What a ride by Sean, I’m very lucky to have him as my stable jockey. These are the races you want to be winning.
“Grahame told me this morning he hadn’t had a bet for 20 years but that he had £5 each-way this morning.”
Moroder returns to winning form with Grimthorpe repeat
Seamus Mullins’ Moroder rolled back the years to reclaim his title in the Virgin Bet Grimthorpe Handicap Chase at Doncaster.
The 11-year-old won the contest under James Best in 2023, striking at 18/1 and going on to finish second in the bet365 Gold Cup on his next start to wrap up his season.
His form has waxed and waned since, however, with his second-placed Cheltenham run when wearing blinkers last April his only placed effort in several runs in the meantime.
The blinkers were applied again on his return to Town Moor, where he was ridden by Best again as a 33/1 shot.
The early spring ground seemed to suit the gelding, who travelled well throughout and looked to be enjoying himself around the three-mile-two-furlong trip.
He took up the lead four fences for home and clearly was not going to be passed, holding off all challengers to come home two and three-quarter lengths ahead of 4/1 favourite The Kniphand.
“It’s a good fillip to the yard, we’ve had a bit of an in-and-out season but we’re coming back to form,” said Mullins.
“It’s just nice to come back and do it again for Besty, he loves it.
“The handicapper will have a bit of a say after today, which is fair enough, but he’d have to take his chance at Sandown again.
“We fiddled around last year and went to that race at Cheltenham and that was when he showed us that the spring ground is really what he needs, so he’ll definitely get an entry.
“This was the first bit of decent ground we could find and we made our minds up at Christmas that we’d try to come here.
“He came with plenty of petrol in the tank, we’ve dropped down the handicap but for good reason because he wasn’t running well.
“We’ve just minded our horses and ticked over and hopefully in the spring we’ll be repaid for that bit of patience.”
Grey Dawning back on track
Grey Dawning turned in a virtually faultless round of jumping to win the bet365 Premier Chase at Kelso.
The four-horse contest was very much billed as a match between the Dan Skelton-trained Grey Dawning and Iroko, who is a leading Grand National contender for Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero.
Harry Skelton was positive from the off on the 5/6 favourite as the well-supported El Elefante tried to go with him in the early stages, with Jonjo O’Neill jr happy to sit off the front pair aboard Iroko.
When El Elefante came down at the 12th fence, it was left to Grey Dawning and Iroko to battle it out, but the market leader was travelling noticeably well, with Harry Skelton able to take a look over his shoulder with a couple still to jump.
While Iroko did try his best to edge in front, Grey Dawning was just too strong and a fine leap at the last sealed victory, with his rider able to ease down before the line for a two-and-a-half-length victory.
Grey Dawning was having just his third start of the year at Kelso, having run second on deep ground in the Betfair Chase in November before being pulled up when contesting the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Dan Skelton said: “That was really good. We wanted to see him back to what he can do and he jumped beautifully.
“He’s obviously very, very good and everyone knows he’s very, very good – we’ve just not had the conditions and situations to show him off this year.
“After Haydock my feeling was if the ground was different, you’d get a different result. The ground today is what we wish we’d had that day, but fair play to the winner [Royale Pagaille] – he loves that ground and we didn’t.
Grey Dawning triumphed at Kelso
“I actually felt he’d recovered in time for the King George, but the mistake at the first and the tempo Il Est Francais went, it negated us.
“Today was more our ground, it’s left-handed, there’s lots of ticks in the boxes and he’s put up a really good performance.”
Grey Dawning still holds an entry in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but Skelton intends to head to the Aintree Bowl on April 3.
He added: “That Gold Cup picture is for next year. Hopefully this time next year we’re building into something a little different, but we have to do the right things and make the right calls and I feel like we have.
“We’re delighted to be in the position we’re in. We’ve put a little bit back together and I’ve kept saying we’ve got to make sure we have a decent spring with him because he’s one of our flagship horses.
“OK he was a good second in Haydock, but second is second and we want a winner, so to have gone and done that today and looked so impressive was brilliant.”
Iroko was left an unchanged 12/1 shot for the National with bookmakers and Greenall felt a number of factors had gone against his Aintree contender on this occasion.
He said: “He ran well, Jonjo just felt the track was probably a little bit sharp for him in that sort of grade.
“I walked the track beforehand and watched the first race out there and I thought it would ride almost softer than good to soft, but Jonjo said it felt like good ground on him.
“I was happy with him, but I think today there were no excuses. He’s had a few runs and he’s fit.
“He was up against a good horse and I hope we’re heading for the National – he deserves to go. I think the trip is what he wants as he always seems to be doing his best work at the end.
“He does normally travel a bit better in his races, but they were probably going quite quick.
“He’ll just tick along now and he’s got to jump a National fence.”
