Royal double for Henderson team at Southwell

Molly Hunter
May 25, 2021 5:15 pm

Kincardine and Rapid Flight victorious for The Queen.

The Queen enjoyed a Southwell double as Nico De Boinville steered two horses to success at the Nottinghamshire track in the royal silks.

The first of the Nicky Henderson-trained duo to strike was Kincardine, who won on his racecourse debut when taking the Dapper Spaniel Gastro Pub Rolleston Open National Hunt Flat Race after starting as 13-8 favourite.

The four-year-old is out of Side Step who is turn a daughter of Magic Score, with both dam and grand-dam owned by the Queen and trained by Henderson.

“He was fantastic, it was nice to have something to aim at for a change,” De Boinville told Sky Sports Racing after the early pace of the race was provided by No Authority.

Rapid Flight ridden by jockey Nico de Boinville on their way to winning the Happy Birthday Lucy Titchener 'National Hunt' Maiden Hurdle at Southwell Racecourse — Rapid Flight ridden by jockey Nico de Boinville on their way to winning the Happy Birthday Lucy Titchener ‘National Hunt’ Maiden Hurdle at Southwell Racecourse (Mike Egerton/PA)

“I think it might turn out to be a nice bumper in time, he’s a really nice horse and he showed plenty of toe there.

“He was doing enough in front, he pricked his ears and I knew if the other horse came to me, he’d have gone on again.”

The owner-trainer-jockey trio then enjoyed an immediate second success on the card as Rapid Flight landed the Happy Birthday Lucy Titchener ‘National Hunt’ Maiden Hurdle.

The five-year-old made all of the running and stayed on to shake off a challenge from Sounds Russian before passing the post a length and a quarter ahead as a 9-4 shot.

Fergal O’Brien and Paddy Brennan also teamed for a treble on the card, with Coole Well prevailing in the Free Racecourse Entry With Golf Membership Handicap Chase to provide their first success.

The eight-year-old started as 10-11 favourite and only officially joined O’Brien’s stable six days ago after spending some time at Brennan’s base since departing his former yard.

Coole Well ridden by jockey Paddy Brennan clear a fence on their way to winning the Free Racecourse Entry With Golf Membership Handicap Chase at Southwell Racecourse — Coole Well, ridden by jockey Paddy Brennan, clears a fence on their way to winning the Free Racecourse Entry With Golf Membership Handicap Chase at Southwell Racecourse (Mike Egerton/PA)

O’Brien said: “Paddy more or less trained him for this one.

“We’ve had Coole Well four or five weeks, Paddy’s done all the work at home.

“He’s got a nice set up there and he’s just been hacking about.

“The longer we’ve had him, the better he’s settled in, so we were very pleased with that. It was lovely the way he travelled and jumped.”

Byzantine Empire (3-1) then produced O’Brien and Brennan’s second success when a three-and-a-half-length winner of the Jigsaw Sports Branding Novices’ Hurdle before As High Say (2-1 favourite) wrapped up the hat-trick with victory in the Rolleston Revival Village Event Mares’ Handicap Hurdle.

The favourite also prevailed in the Follow Jigsaw Sports Branding On Twitter Handicap Chase as Kerry Lee’s Do It For Thy Sen crossed the line eight lengths ahead of his nearest rival under Brendan Powell.

Having triumphed at the same track on his last outing, the gelding was 5-2 favourite for the contest and ran prominently from the start.

Picking up the lead with three fences left to navigate, the seven-year-old was easily able to pull away from the rest of the field and was a ready winner of the two-and-a-half-mile contest.

Do It For Thy Sen, ridden by jockey Brendan Powell, clears a fence on his way to winning the Follow Jigsaw Sports Branding On Twitter Handicap Chase at Southwell Racecourse (PA/Mike Egerton)

Tanit River provided Robbie Llewellyn and Bradley Gibbs with a success in the Join Southwell Golf Club Open Hunters’ Chase at 4-1.

The 11-year-old brought credible form from hunter chases at Ascot and Cheltenham and made all of the running to deny David Maxwell aboard the Paul Nicholls-trained 8-15 favourite Cat Tiger.

“He ran at Cheltenham in the four-miler and he jumped and travelled very well that day,” Gibbs said.

“Four miles around Cheltenham was probably a bit too far for him, but he’s back here today. Robbie said he had him in good form and to be fair, he did – he jumped and galloped today.”