Cheltenham targets for 'proper horse' Cobblers Dream after Lanzarote success

Saturday: Kempton

Coral's substantial investment in prize-money was enough to persuade trainer Ben Case the Lanzarote Hurdle was the right race for Cobblers Dream, and the Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer was handsomely rewarded as the Lady Grosvenor-owned six-year-old landed the £100,000 contest in style.

Owner and trainer combined to win the Grand Annual with stable favourite Croco Bay in 2019, but after the popular 13-year-old suffered a fatal racecourse injury in 2020 and stablemate Kings Temptation suffered the same fate last year, they decided to find a horse capable of filling the void.

Step forward Cobblers Dream, picked up for £85,000 at the Cheltenham sales in April and well on his way to repaying that investment after scooping a first prize of almost £57,000 in a race which earned the connections of Burrows Edge less than £26,000 in 2020.

"He seems to be getting better all the time," said Case, who trains in the village of Edgcote near Banbury. "We thought he was on a nice weight and when they announced prize-money was going up we thought it was the right place to come to.

"He's been very straightforward since we've had him. He travels nicely through his races and the step up in trip has helped."

2.40 Kempton: full result and replay

After a standing start, Jack Quinlan found himself towards the front rank on the eventual winner and it was not a bad place to be as joint-favourites Green Book and Marie's Rock were both seriously hampered by the second-hurdle fall of Ch'tibello, with Green Book unseating 10lb claimer Ned Fox in the process.

Taking it up at the second-last, Quinlan poured on the coal and Cobblers Dream sprinted clear with only the loose Green Brook for company, going on to record a five-and-a-half-length success from the prominently ridden Highway One O Two.

"Those two were first and second all the way around, so they probably didn't go much of a gallop and quickened away from the second-last, but he looks like a proper horse and hopefully there's more to come from him," said Case.

Ben Case (right): 'He seems to be getting better all the time'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"It's nice to have a big Saturday winner and Lady Jane has been a big supporter of ours and had some really nice horses.

"Unfortunately, we lost Kings Temptation and Croco Bay, and Jane said we'd go and find another one. We found him at the sales and he's just a bonny little horse. I think he'll be a better chaser in time and looks like a nice handicapper to go to war with."

The next battle could come in March at Cheltenham, where the Coral Cup and Martin Pipe are already on Case's radar.

Quinlan, who came in for the ride after Jack Andrews opted to head to Wetherby for five rides, could not hide his delight, returning with a smile as wide as the winning margin.

"He's a novice but is on the way up," said Quinlan. "Who knows how far his potential could reach but that was a huge thrill."

Results, replays and analysis

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