Captain Cee Bee in command at Naas
Edward Harty had admitted to some nerves before he let Captain Cee Bee take his chance at Naas but those fears proved groundless.
The trainer had worried that the rain which had turned the going to yielding to soft would not play to the strengths of a horse who was one of last season’s leading two-mile chasers. But Captain Cee Bee was simply too strong for his three rivals in the Grade Three Poplar Square Chase.
Mark Walsh was happy for Captain Cee Bee to take a lead from Archie Boy, however, Davy Russell was never able to take enough of an advantage on the leader. His four-length lead was cut in half by Captain Cee Bee with a bold jump at the fifth-last and Walsh eased his horse upsides on the run to the last. A good jumped settled the issue and Captain Cee Bee only had to be pushed out to win by four lengths.
He is already being considered as a live contender for this season’s Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March when, as retained jockey to owner JP McManus, Tony McCoy will take the ride. But Walsh was happy enough with one of the biggest wins of his short career. “I got a lead – Davy Russell went slow enough and it suited me because my lad had the speed to pick him up. My lad jumped brilliant, joined Davy at the second-last, winged it and it was only hands and heels to win. You still haven’t seen the best of this horse.”
He may need to show his best if he runs in the Tingle Creek Chase, at Sandown Park in December, which is one of the races that Harty is considering as part of the horses pre-Christmas programme but Walsh is clearly impressed with what he has seen so far. “He’ll improve from that run and you’ll see a better horse next time. I’ve never ridden a champion chaser but he gives me the feel that he’s a champion chaser.”
Philip Hobbs and Richard Johnson were the in-form team at Ascot with three winners but it was one of the horses that Hobbs used to train, Massini's Maguire (pictured) who won the Listed United House Gold Cup Handicap Chase.
A Cheltenham Festival winner as a novice hurdler three years ago, Massini's Maguire had had his problems and this was his first run for 305 days since the move to David Pipe’s stable. The lack of a previous run looked to have done for Massini's Maguire as Take The Breeze challenged jumping the last. But, like Pipe-trained horses down the years, found more for Tom Scudamore to win by one-and-a-half lengths. Pipe had gone back to basics with a horse who had jumping problems with “a lot of work done in the loose school and he’s jumped well in the main - I thought we were beat but, fair play to Tom and the horse. He’s in the Paddy Power, he’s win the Hennessy and we’ll see.”
Having not impressed in schooling sessions for Jonjo O’Neill, Get Me Out Of Here was sticking to the smaller obstacles in Listed williamhill.com Handicap Hurdle. But he never looked at his best and was only seventh behind Tocca Ferro for Emma Lavelle and Jack Doyle.
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