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Reports15 January 2025

Nine-horse trainer Polly Gundry celebrates 'by far our biggest success' with Don't Rightly Know in Listed mares' chase

Don't Rightly Know (right): beat Apple Away in the Listed mares' chase
Don't Rightly Know (right) battles it out with Apple Away in the Listed mares' chaseCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Polly Gundry celebrated “by far the biggest” success of her training career when Don’t Rightly Know justified favouritism in the feature Listed 2m7½f mares’ chase.

Julian Selby’s homebred ten-year-old is lightly raced for her age, and showed she is still improving with a length-and-a-quarter win over Apple Away in a race run in memory of Charlie Nugent, a former amateur jockey, owner and steward.

Don’t Rightly Know sealed a double from two rides for Harry Cobden, who landed the 2m½f four-year-old hurdle aboard the Emma Lavelle-trained Sherminator.

Gundry, who has nine horses in training, said of Don't Rightly Know: “She can really cope with soft ground and it’s huge to win a race like this – it’s by far our biggest success. She doesn’t have much mileage and has the most extraordinary temperament; she’s very arrogant and wants to do it all her own way.

“It’s wonderful having a horse who so wants to do it. We’ll have to see if she can do it on different ground, but we’ll enjoy this, have a lot of celebrations and then make a plan.”

Jasmin's high five

Jasmin De Grugy rattled off a five-timer for JP McManus, Anthony Honeyball and Richie McLernon with a four-and-a-quarter-length win in the 2m7½f handicap chase, defying a 46lb higher mark than when he started off in handicaps last March.

Jasmin De Grugy: convincing winner under Richie McLernon
Jasmin De Grugy runs out a convincing winner under Richie McLernonCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

The progressive six-year-old finished second on his handicap hurdle debut off a mark of 73 at Wincanton in March and has since won three handicap hurdles and both starts over fences.

Honeyball said: “We always thought he would be a three-mile chaser, but it's just been about finding the right opportunities. This might be his ceiling, but it's hard to know and it’s worth having a go at a valuable novice handicap.”

Tucker on top

Harriet Tucker rode her first winner for new boss Neil Mulholland aboard Bucephalus in the 2m½f handicap hurdle.

Tucker, who won the Foxhunter on Pacha Du Polder in 2018, joined Mulholland last month having spent two and a half years with Alex Hales.

Bucephalus: repelled the challenge of Norn Iron
Bucephalus (right) repels the challenge of Norn IronCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

The Clive Handford-owned hurdler was backed into 7-2 joint-favourite (from 13-2) and scored by three-quarters of a length, sealing a double for Mulholland, who was also successful with Starcrossed Lover at Hereford.

Tucker said: “He’s a pleasure to ride and you just let him do his thing. You can keep the revs up on him and he keeps responding. I couldn’t believe I got the ride on him as quickly as I did on Welsh National day. It’s great to repay the faith.”

Keable collects

Callum Pritchard spent two years as an amateur with Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, and continued the link with Keable’s three-and-a-half-length victory in the 3m handicap hurdle.

Pritchard joined Ben Pauling to start out as a conditional this summer and is now one winner away from his claim being reduced to 5lb.

The rider said: “That was a tough ask off a much higher mark on this ground, but he handled it well. I’m hopeful there is more to come as his confidence is so high.”


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