Bobsbest reports…
Champions’ Day at CoinShares Les Landes provided plenty of thrills as each of the five races produced close finishes and there were one or two surprises.
The Clarendon
The main event, the most important handicap of the year, The Clarendon, sponsored by Oakglen Wealth, delivered perhaps the biggest surprise when Flashy Apache, a 10/1 shot, got the better of odds-on favourite Maquignon by three quarters of a length.
The handsome Flashy Apache has been a winner in waiting for some time, but despite putting in a number of good shifts he hadn’t managed to win.
Accordingly he lined up carrying 8lb more than the handicapper thought he should. Karl Kukk had him spot on for his biggest assignment to date and Raul Da Silva got a great run out of him leaving the handicapper scratching his head.
Fred Tett opted to ride Maquignon over stablemate Roi Du Monde, which proved the right choice as he was four lengths in front of the latter at the line.
The Clarendon has a habit of throwing up a surprise result, which is what makes it such an interesting contest. Flashy Apache races in the colours of Fiona Carmichael.
The Beresford Kitchen Jersey Bullet
The Beresford Kitchen Jersey Bullet, in effect the sprinters’ championship, went to Profit And Loss, the top sprinter last season who found this easier than the handicaps he has been tackling.
Still, it was a close thing because he had no more than a neck to spare at the line over his old rival Gemcutter with Timetodock more than four lengths back in third. Liam Harrison was the winning jockey and Alyson Malzard the trainer.
The Millbrook CI Champion Hurdle
The other championship race became a desperately disappointing renewal when the top two horses were withdrawn. George Bancroft came out with a vet’s certificate, whilst Diplomatie was withdrawn due to unsuitably firm going.
The stewards had examined the course to determine its safety for jumping. After consulting jockeys and trainers they allowed Diplomatie to be withdrawn without penalty.
This left Tuck Your Shirt In and BigUp, the latter winning by a short head under Fred Tett. BigUp is some way short of the class one might expect from a champion hurdler, but fair play to her connections who have campaigned her sportingly and earned the reward. As the saying goes, if you’re not in you can’t win.
The Colin Grant Memorial Glory Bee Handicap
The Colin Grant Memorial Glory Bee Handicap ran into difficulties before the start when Arthur’s Angel misbehaved. Rider Oliver Carmichael wisely dismounted and led the gelding to join the others at the start, but having remounted and come under starter’s orders the Angel played Lucifer, got rid of Carmichael and took no part in the race.
In another close finish, Caustic got the better of Agapanther by a head with She’s A Mirage third just three quarters of a length behind. Bruce Lynn rode the winner who was trained by Karl Kukk.
The honour of winning the last race of 2025, The Hepburn’s Season Finale fell to the excellent Cueros who defied top weight under Liam Harrison to beat stablemate Never Said Nothing by a neck. Countess Ciara was third.
In a post race stewards’ enquiry, Fred Tett, rider of the runner up, claimed he’d suffered interference by the winner. After viewing replays the stewards decided the rest would stand.
The best-turned-out awards went to the grooms of Tuck Your Shirt In, Al Farabi, Flashy Apache, Cool Dandy and Birkie Boy.
And so the 2025 racing came to an end and all the various champions received their rewards, which will be the subject of a later report.
