Weird Al, Little Josh tie at Carlisle
Between Little Josh and Weird Al, seems like there was nothing to choose.
Sunday’s Colin Parker Memorial at Carlisle was a dead-heat which maintains Weird Al’s unbeaten record over fences despite the horse’s failure to outdo Little Josh. Weird Al rode at 5-2 and Little Josh
at 7-2, but the dramatic rush to the line resulted in a unison finish.
Weird Al’s trainer, Ian Williams, has taken it as a good sign in the build-up to the Hennessy, where his odds have been cut from 16/2 to 11/2 for the Newbury handicap on November 27. This was just the
final part of a sizable market drift, wiht Weird Al having started the day as low as 11/10.
"What more can we ask? He's given 6lb to a match-fit horse over an inadequate two and a half miles," said Williams. "Hopefully he'll come back bright and breezy for the Hennessy, and he's a horse who'll
hopefully progress this season."
The 2m four-furlong Intermediate Chase was raced by five horses all above five years old. Weird Al, ridden by Noel Fehily, only caught Little Josh, ridden by Sam Twistron-Davied, in the final stride. The
chaser pulled out all the stops for a masterful round of jumping unchallenged by third-place Door Boy. Little Josh slowed enough to be caught by rallied again when the winning paired lined up for the finale.
"I'm happy with that, he jumped nicely,” said Fehily. “Two and a half [miles] is sharp enough and giving weight away is never easy."
The win was a cap to Ian William’s already-winning day after his horse Wayward Prince won at Huntingdon, though Weird Al’s performance was particularly exhausting for the horse. Little Josh’s trainer Nigel
Twiston-Davies was similarly happy about the result.
"It was a very good run,” said Twiston-Davies’ assistant Carl Llewellyn. “The other horse is a very good horse, he jumped great and will now go for the Paddy Power Gold Cup."
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