'She was foot perfect' - delighted Gavin Cromwell hails Brides Hill at end of unbeaten season

The excellent season enjoyed by Gavin Cromwell has been reflected in microcosm by the much-improved mare Brides Hill, and the daughter of Dylan Thomas made it four out of four for the campaign with a comprehensive victory in the Grade 2 mares' chase.

Sean Flanagan's mount only gave her supporters a moment's worry when favourite Allegorie De Vassy looked briefly to have gotten away from her, but once she headed her main market rival, the rest was plain sailing as she came home 21 lengths clear of Instit and Must Be Obeyed, who ran Allegorie De Vassy out of the placings.

It was a terrific display of jumping and galloping, and with the progress she has made, next season cannot come soon enough. 

Cromwell said: "She was foot perfect. She has had her jumping issues in the past but she has it together now. Keith Donoghue has done an awful lot of work on her. It's just a pity that he couldn't ride her this week, but Sean does a lot of work on these horses too and it's good to see him get a day. I'm glad she didn't run at Cheltenham, the ground was extreme, and if we had run there we might not be here today."

O'Connor nails it on the line

Derek O'Connor and Its On The Line have developed a special partnership and it bore fruit once again when the pair followed up their late victory in the Foxhunters' at Aintree with an even later success here.

Lifetime Ambition looked to have taken control of the race turning in, but O'Connor never let him build up too much leeway and his mount pulled it out of the fire on the run to the line to score by a length and three-quarters.

"He's not a horse that makes life easy but Derek has the trick to him," said trainer Emmet Mullins. He added: "I was happy until the third-last, it got a bit panicky when Lifetime Ambition went on, but once he jumped the second-last I was confident he'd pull it back." 

Asked if he would consider some of the good handicap chases, Mullins said: "To have a horse like him who can rock up to the big festivals at Cheltenham, Aintree and here and have a chance of winning, it's very hard to come by. I don't think we would ever replace him if we did something else with him."

Read more . . .

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