Surrey Quest the ace in Mandarin pack

Adam Morgan
December 30, 2023 4:57 pm

A notable victory for Toby Lawes on Challow Hurdle undercard.

Surrey Quest provided Toby Lawes with one of the biggest victories of his training career to date when landing the Coral Mandarin Handicap Chase at Newbury.

Formally a right-hand man to Nicky Henderson, it was somewhat fitting it was a former Seven Barrows inmate that provided him with his finest hour as he followed up an impressive stable bow at Huntingdon with a battling success in the rain-softened ground.

Having been up with the leaders throughout, Surrey Quest stuck to his task gamely when asked for maximum effort by man-of-the-moment James Bowen, who was striking for the third time on the card.

Although not fluent two from home, the 7-2 chance still had enough in reserve to hold off Kerry Lee’s 11-4 favourite Atlanta Brave by three-quarters of a length and give owners Surrey Racing plenty to dream about moving forward.

A treble for James Bowen!
Surrey Quest wins the Coral Mandarin Handicap Chase #ITVRacing | @NewburyRacing pic.twitter.com/vmFcW4M22z

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) December 30, 2023

“The ground didn’t come up as soft as we were worried about and James rode him perfectly to plan,” said Clive Hadingham, co-founder of Surrey Racing with Steve Grubb.

“We know he stays and it looks like from that performance he will stay another couple of furlongs. The front two pulled away handily from the rest. It opens up a lot of options.

“That is the biggest win for Toby and he would be probably one of the better horses in Toby’s yard. We have to give plenty of credit of Jackie Du Plessis in Cornwall, who looks after horses with niggling issues for us and she found a little issue with Quest and helped put it right – without that we wouldn’t now have the horse we have got.

“Toby has then taken that further with the training and it has been a team effort from all of them.”

Surrey Quest clears the water jump at Newbury (David Davies/PA)

He went on: “We will have to see what the handicapper does and there’s a few options. We’ll sleep on it and celebrate this and the trophy is big enough to fill up with champagne so we will take that away and have some fun!

“We will probably have a look at the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster at the end of January, but we will enjoy today and see how he comes out of it and then put our heads together.”

However, there would be no four-timer for Bowen as Henderson’s Walking On Air was denied by Ben Pauling’s Henry’s Friend (17-2) in the concluding Coral Get Closer To The Action Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.

A useful hurdler last term, it was a huge improvement on the six-year-old’s Doncaster chasing debut and a performance that somewhat surprised his handler.

This was some finish 😮‍💨
Henry’s Friend wins the Coral Get Closer To The Action Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase#ITVRacing | @NewburyRacing pic.twitter.com/q2Dbs2ScnW
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) December 30, 2023

“I was pleased with the result, but I didn’t think he would handle the ground and I think he’s won despite this being not his most suitable conditions,” said Pauling.

“He’s done very well to win and jumped very well on the whole without ever jumping as well as he did at Doncaster last time. It was a gutsy performance and I think he is an improving novice.

“He’s always had a touch of class and this is his game (chasing), but I do think there will be a lot more to come on slightly better ground.”

Issar d’Airy made a pleasing chasing debut to strike at 4-1 in the New ‘Bet-In-Race’ With Coral Handicap Chase.

Issar D'Airy produced a fine round of jumping at Newbury — Issar D’Airy produced a fine round of jumping at Newbury (David Davies/PA)

Gary Moore’s five-year-old stepped up markedly on what he had shown over hurdles and produced a superb round of jumping under Niall Houlihan as he sauntered to a four-and-a-quarter-length success over the 6-5 favourite Martator, who had attempted to make all.

“I was very pleased and he jumped very well for a horse having his first start over fences,” said Moore.

“What he beat I don’t know because the favourite went off very fast and he was never going to get home unless he was a super horse going that pace. Niall was good and patient and gave him a nice introduction and he’s done well our horse, I’m very happy.

“It will depend what the handicapper does to him, but there is a two-mile chase at Lingfield over Millions Weekend and I might look at going there, but I’m not sure.”

Rambo T (right) winning the Coral Racing Club Join For Free Handicap Hurdle at Newbury (David Davies/PA)

Meanwhile, the fine season of King George VI winning rider Gavin Sheehan continued when he scored another Saturday success aboard Olly Murphy’s Rambo T (2-1 favourite) in the Coral Racing Club Join For Free Handicap Hurdle.

“He appreciated the step back in trip and I think the race fell apart somewhat,” said Murphy.

“I thought a lot of horses were beat early in the straight, but albeit it was a good performance.

“He doesn’t stay three miles and we hope he carries on progressing. He handles soft ground well and he is a strong stayer at two-and-a-half, just doesn’t stay three. It was a good performance and hopefully he can carry on progressing.”