Benefficient upsets Sous Les Cieux in Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown
A shocking horse racing result hit the headlines on Sunday night, when Benefficient sent at 50 to 1 beat the star-studded line-up in the Grade 1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle, hosted at Leopardstown.
Benefficient’s 50 to 1 shock win was a huge blow for the likes of the 2 to 1 favourite, Sous Les Cieux, and Grade 1 winners, Captain Conan, and Cash And Go.
A. J. Martin’s trainee gave an all out effort to establish his dominance. He was challenged by, Sous Les Cieux, in the later part of the 2 mile and 2 furlong contest, but the six-year-old had enough in his pocket to script a classy 1 ¼ length triumph.
W. P. Mullins’ high profile, Sous Les Cieux, appeared as the runner-up. The star horse made a slight mistake initially, but bounced back strongly at the final moments.
The six-year-old, who will turn seven next month, kept the leader under enormous pressure all the way through. However, he could not hamper the triumphant horse from dictating matters.
Winning trainer, Martin was jubilant to see his colt beating the high profile line-up to ensure his second win over hurdles.
"He's a proper horse and when Ruby [Walsh] rode him to win his maiden at Navan he really liked him," Martin said after the race.
He continued: "He's still a big baby and disappointed us at Thurles last time but that was the ground he wanted out there and I'm so happy for the lads Aidan and Niall [Reilly] who came over from New York to see him run. It's a dream come through for
them. He's in everything at Cheltenham so I'd say he'll go for something there."
Nicky Henderson’s Captain Conan, and E. J. O'Grady’s Cash And Go, also failed to make a positive impacton the outcome of the race, ending up well down the field. Cash And Go finished fifth, while Captain Conan settled at sixth on the chart.
After a massive effort, Noel Meade’s Italian horse, Il Fenomeno, managed to finish among the top 3. The six-year-old foreigner tracked the leaders to make a good early impression.
However, a blunder later in the race eliminated all his chances to as he wound up third in the race.
Tags: