Aslukgoes could be Aintree-bound for rookie trainer Brookhouse

Simon Milham
February 11, 2023 5:57 pm

Bumper performer is one to look forward to.

Aslukgoes has rookie Newmarket trainer Ben Brookhouse dreaming of a championship National Hunt Flat race after he took the Betfair Racing Only Better Podcast Bumper at Newbury.

The five-year-old won two bumpers for Ian Williams last summer when Ben was his assistant and he made it a hat-trick with a convincing success under Jack Quinlan.

Brookhouse – whose father, Roger, owns the 8-1 winner – is unlikely to head to the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, and may instead wait for Aintree.

Asluckgoes/Newbury — Aslukgoes and Jack Quinlan after landing the Betfair Racing Only Better Podcast Bumper at Newbury (Simon Milham/PA)a

“This lad can run in five bumpers, including a championship bumper,” he said.

“We are planning to take full advantage of that to give him as much education as possible before he goes hurdling and the more racing he is getting, the more relaxed he is getting.

“There is even the possibility he could go to Punchestown, as the rules are different over there.

“We had this horse at Ian’s and he put in all the groundwork with him and he taught me how to deal with him.

“Cheltenham’s great, but I’ve got a nice team of horses and this is only my first year and these horses have got to last me, so I wouldn’t have thought he will go there. Aintree would quite possibly be up his street.”

Turn up in the opener 👀
Outsider of three Coeur Serein comes gets on top after the last to land the Best Odds On The @BetfairExchange Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase @NewburyRacing.
Odds-on favourite McFabulous was pulled up a long way out! @JonjoONeill | @JJONeillJnr pic.twitter.com/Mh9Z9nEtak
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 11, 2023

The well-worn ‘back the outsider of three’ idiom paid off when 13-2 shot Coeur Serein upset the form book in the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.

Continuing the good form of the Jonjo O’Neill stable, the nine-year-old relished the good ground and drew clear of Unanswered Prayers after jumping upsides at the last of the 18 fences in the extended two-mile-seven-furlong event.

Paul Nicholls saddled subsequent King George VI Chase winner Bravemansgame to win this contest last term, but his odds-on favourite this time, McFabulous, was never travelling and pulled up on the final circuit.

After Coeur Serein’s nine-length success under his son, Jonjo O’Neill Jr, the winning trainer quipped: “He’ll go to the King George and he’ll win it easier – I’ve already fooled the owner up until now!”

The Andy Ralph-owned gelding, who had finished eighth in a Doncaster handicap last time, could head to the Cheltenham Festival next.

O’Neill added: “He loves the ground. He only runs well on good ground. We honestly thought with McFabulous, we’d run for place money and for third you’d get three grand. It’s better than schooling at home.

“He might go for the three-miler, the Ultima, as he might get in now. We’ll see how he is after this.”

On a memorable afternoon for Chris Gordon, Annual Invictus (6-1) took the Betfair Multiples Offer Every Saturday Handicap Hurdle.

It was a family affair for the yard, as his son, 7lb claimer Freddie Gordon, scored by three lengths after kicking for home early in the three-mile contest, sparking a double on the afternoon for his father, who would go on to take the Betfair Hurdle with Aucunrisque.

The young rider, who is based with Paul Nicholls, could be pushed towards the amateur title next season after riding his seventh winner of the season.

Annual Invictus and Freddie Gordon power clear to score (Tim Goode/PA)

The winning trainer said: “I wouldn’t be putting him on a horse if I didn’t think he was capable of it.

“We had a blip in December and January and we shut up for three weeks.

“Sadly, Unanswered Prayers bled in the first race and that is what a lot of mine were doing early, so it is still lingering around.

“I will try to keep him in the easiest company I can.

“He is a very good horse on his day, but once or twice he has really thrown it in, so he’s got a character in there.

“I might just look for a little chase and see where we are. I might chop and change with him.”

Love Is Golden and Niall Houlihan (left) took the novice hurdle (Tim Goode/PA)

Love Is Golden (11-1) has been a fairly useful handicapper on the Flat and started to translate that good form to hurdles.

The Golden Horn five-year-old produced a slick round of jumping to claim the Daily Tips On betting.betfair.com Novices’ Hurdle under Niall Houlihan, scoring by six lengths from Holetown Hero.

Assistant trainer Josh Moore said: “Whether it is the strongest race, I wouldn’t be sure. But he has jumped very well, which what I was pleased about.

“He was off a reasonable rating on the Flat and has taken to hurdles well.

“I don’t know where we will go next. He would be very versatile on ground. It is quick, dead ground, but if it gets softer it wouldn’t be much of a problem. Spring ground would be to his liking.

“We will find out in the future – we’ll run him and try it.

“Niall has had a good time of things of late. I said to him the other day, ‘you’d fall out of the window and you’d go up at the minute!’. He’s in good form.”