Big Zeb overtook long-time leader Forpadydeplasterer to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday and spoil Master Minded's bid to win the race for the third year in a row.
Ridden by Barry Geraghty, the 10-1 shot pulled away to win the race by six lengths in one of the big shocks of the meet. Master Minded was the 4-5 favorite but finished a tame fourth.
Forpadydeplasterer, which had set a strong pace from the beginning of the two mile (3.2 kilometer race) was another 10-1 shot with champion jockey Tony McCoy on board, and Kalahari King got up to beat Master Minded for third.
"He wouldn't go on the ground as it was too quick for him," said Ruby Walsh, who was riding the badly beaten favorite in the 320,000 pound ($480,000; euro352,000) highlight of day two of the top meet of the jump season.
Geraghty said Big Zeb responded well when Master Minded, an impressive winner in the previous two years, made a move with two fences to go.
"It was a great performance and he's jumped well all year," the winning jockey said. "I saw Master Minded coming but I had a lot left when I kicked for home."
Despite Master Minded's flop, Walsh went on to become the most successful jockey in the history of the Festival when his victory on Sanctuaire in the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle took him to 26 winners.
Walsh beat the record held by Pat Taaffe who rode 25 winners between 1953 and '70. Riding Al Ferof in the final race of the day, Walsh was beaten by 40-1 shot Cue Card.
No comments:
Post a Comment