'AP said that was a pretty cool ride' - inspired Nico de Boinville brings Iberico Lord home in Betfair Hurdle

Some races are won but the 2024 Betfair Hurdle was stolen. Harry Skelton, aboard L’Eau Du Sud, did everything in his power to win Britain’s richest handicap hurdle, but everything wasn’t enough as local boy Nico de Boinville produced a sublime ride to swoop late on Iberico Lord.

De Boinville's instructions were to be handy, but so hot was the pace he ended up sitting way back and still had 14 of his 20 rivals in front of him turning in. 

As the field came wide up the straight he opted for the inner and as the others were all hard at work in the testing conditions after the second-last De Boinville continued to just nudge and niggle his mount along. He did not engage kitchen sink mode until after the last.

Henderson revealed that “AP said that was a pretty cool ride”, while De Boinville’s former colleague Jerry McGrath – better known now as the man who bought Sir Gino, and only partly kicking himself for recently missing out on a two-year-old half-brother to the winner – felt it was his decision to stick to the inside that won him the race.

De Boinville, who has had two spells off with injury since Christmas and had his first winner back little more than an hour earlier aboard Shishkin, was keen to deflect any praise. On sitting further back he joked: "It's called not being able to go any quicker.

“All credit to the horse, I don't think things were quite right at Ascot last time but he knuckled down really well. A few flicks and away he's gone."

Iberico Lord: flew home up the inside under Nico de BoinvilleCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Would the jockey at least accept praise for his decision to stick to the inner? “There was less traffic and the ground was a bit better down there, so it seemed the place to go," he added.

“I like riding around here, it's my local track, I grew up 15 minutes away, I enjoy the puzzle of riding around here in big handicaps.”

Henderson confirmed it was a puzzle his star jockey solved five days ago. “When I asked Nico on Monday which of the four he wanted to ride he said straight away Iberico Lord, as long as it's soft,” he said. 

“He got that right and he deserves to get it right. They went very quick and you have to sit and suffer in races like that. It's not easy, you know where you want to be and you know where you can't be, and that's where he was.

“All the boys were saying this morning there was bags of pace and they right, we were trying to be up there and they were both out with the washing for the first mile.”

As regards targets he added: “He doesn't want any further. You've got Imperial Cups and County Hurdles.”

Iberico Lord was cut into a best-priced 8-1 favourite (from 12) for next month’s County Hurdle.

One other target Iberico Lord’s success may have brought into sharper focus for Henderson is the possibility of a seventh trainers' title. He added more than £95,000 with his Betfair Hurdle first and fourth to the £55,000 he picked up across the rest of the card, largely thanks to Shishkin’s Grade 2 triumph, to take a huge chunk out of Paul Nicholls' lead.

Over £336,000 at the start of the day, the gap is now less than Constitution Hill would pick up should he win a second Champion Hurdle. The title race is most certainly on.

Ireland’s perennial champion trainer Willie Mullins sent over 7-2 favourite Ocastle Des Mottes, who needed to be reshod at the start before finishing a disappointing eighth. 

His rider Daryl Jacob said: “He travelled well to three out but then flattened out after two out. That was his first run out of France, though, and it was in a competitive handicap. He'll adapt to our style of racing and hopefully be a very nice horse.”

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Shishkin leaves turbulent season firmly behind with gutsy display in Denman Chase 

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