Poker De Sivola bags Gold Cup Chase unexpectedly – Horse Racing Update
The unexpected winner of the Grade 3 event of the Gold Cup Chase was Poker De Sivola, who came from an apparently impossible position and delivered an impressive finish to take his title as victor on Saturday at Sandown.
The exciting contest allowed only race-horses of age five years and above to run over a distance of three miles and five and a half furlongs.
Poker De Sivola has been under the watchful care of trainer Ferdy Murphy and was set off at an odd of 11-1 which was later changed to 95-1 in running, when he remained behind the other participants even as there was only a single circuit left to run on the
track.
Poker needed each yard of this circuit to get ahead, having been stuck at eighth place when the lightning fast Baby Run jumped the Pond Fence in the lead once more.
Poker De Sivola’s jockey, Timmy Murphy urged his horse forth with great determination as he left two competitors behind and was able to run in at sixth. As the final fence was approached, it seemed that Poker De Sivola would just have to settle for fourth
place however, by a trick of fate or perhaps the horse’s own willpower, he managed to gallop ahead of the unfortunate Faasel.
Baby Run finished in taking third place, foregoing an opportunity for the Father and son team of Nigel and Sam Twiston-Davies to have a perfect end for the season. Major Malarkey, Baby Run’s stable-mate came in one place behind him at fourth while Briery
Fox took the fifth place.
Poker De Sivola was still in the process of recovery from his last week’s win in the Scottish Grand National, where he unseated his rider early on. The style of his run and victory affected Victor Chandler enough and so they set Poker at a 25-1 chance for
John Smith’s Grand National next year. Timmy Murphy, on the other hand, was banned for two days due to his unnecessary and excessive use of the whip.
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