Chatham Street Lad ran out an impressive winner of the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup at Cheltenham, giving jockey Darragh O'Keeffe the biggest success of his career.
Trained by Mick Winters, the eight-year-old had won two of his last three, but looked a class apart as he bounded up the hill.
O’Keeffe always looked full of confidence as he moved into a challenging position coming down the hill, with Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Coole Cody, Benatar, Master Tommytucker and Midnight Shadow all still in contention.
On landing in front at the second last, however, the Irish challenger sprinted clear and absolutely flew the final fence.
The 16-1 chance beat Midnight Shadow by 15 lengths, with that one in turn well clear of Benatar and Good Boy Bobby in fourth.
Much too good for them!
— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) December 12, 2020
Irish raider Chatham Street Lad bolts up in the Grade 3 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup Chase for Darragh O'Keeffe and Mick Winters 🏇🏆 pic.twitter.com/iHVrKJKeXO
Winters said: "It was outstanding – it was a local jockey as well. He has come down to school on the horse lately and the horse has improved.
"The owners have always had horses in and they have a couple of pubs locally and things. In fairness he won well in Cork (last time out). This is spectacular.
"I’d be very humble about this. Racing is very special and the horses are treated so kind and people don’t realise it. It would be great to give something back as we are only passing through.
"I was confident we would run a blinder. Once he got over the last fence, I was hopeful after that. He is not Flat-bred he was bred for National Hunt, that’s why he was bought and he will keep developing.
"I don’t know where we might go next, but hopefully we might be back here or at Aintree. He fiddled a couple of jumps and missed a few fences here and there, but I asked the jockey and he said he got in tight."
Winters chose to celebrate his first Cheltenham winner in an unusual way, by rolling in the paddock.
He explained: "I said if he won, I would do like the pig and roll in the muck as that what the pig does, so I had to back it up.
"We got here for the Foxhunters years ago and we finished mid-division. We all dream of the Foxhunters, but nowadays it has gone on a bit tough, so you dream of these races."
O’Keeffe was also claiming his first victory at Cheltenham and added: "It was awesome.
"The one thing I thought might let him down was his jumping a bit, and at times it kind of did today. He was just a bit green.
"He travelled like a dream, he did make a few mistakes but when I wanted him, he was awesome.
"When Micky Winters comes over to England, he’s got to be taken seriously because when he has the ammunition he’s well able to train them. I’m very grateful to him for giving me the opportunity.
"We thought he’d run well, but we didn’t think he’d do that. It’s brilliant.
"When I was a child, I remember watching Ruby Walsh, Tony McCoy, Barry Geraghty and everyone coming up the hill and I always hoped at some stage of my career I would get to ride a winner here. It’s unbelievable," he told ITV Racing.
There was a second Irish winner on the card as Make Good (12-1) coped with a step up in trip and class with aplomb as he sauntered clear in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.
Trained by John McConnell, who won the cross country event on Friday with Some Neck, Make Good had been running over two miles to date, but took the leap to three on this occasion on testing ground.
Danny Kirwan and Took The Lot set only a steady pace which meant all the runners still held a chance with half a mile to run.
However, low sun forced the omission the hurdle in the home straight and before they bypassed it, Make Good and Richard Johnson had shot clear.
He stayed on to beat Pats Fancy by seven lengths, with Ask A Honey Bee back in third.
☘️ Another one for the Irish!
— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) December 12, 2020
Make Good runs out a decisive winner of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle for @dickyjohnson77 and @McConnellRacing 👏 pic.twitter.com/vArs1z6FUR
"It was a bit of unknown about the trip, but he won over a mile and six furlongs on the Flat on heavy in October," said Johnson.
"John said he was pretty sure he wanted at least two and a half. It just happens he has run over two so far over hurdles – he just said the three was a bit of an unknown.
"On this ground we were not going to go too quick, so at least it wasn’t a slog. He is a very tough, straightforward horse and he did it nicely."
