Cheltenham: Magic Dancer defeats his veteran peers
CHELTENHAM, England - Call it the Senior Tour for racehorses.
For his 40th career start at Cheltenham Racecourse on Friday, the gelding Magic Dancer was eligible for a new race condition: Handicap steeplechases for 10-year-olds and older.
The category has been offered with greater frequency in British jump racing in the last decade, with races often consisting of well-known horses that have raced for years.
Friday’s veterans’ handicap chase was the first time the 10-year-old Magic Dancer appeared in such a race, and the relative youngster handled the assignment with no difficulty against rivals aged 10 to 13.
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Ridden by Richard Patrick, Magic Dancer (7-2 with bookmakers) won for the sixth time in his career in his first start since April.
Magic Dancer closed from fifth in the final mile and took the lead after the final fence, with slightly more than a furlong remaining. He won by a length over 14-1 Broken Quest.
Trained by Kerry Lee for The Magic Partnership syndicate, Magic Dancer won for the third time in his career at Cheltenham, which is located 100 miles west of London. By Norse Dancer, Magic Dancer won hurdle races in 2017 at 2018 at Cheltenham.
Magic Dancer began his career in flat races, and was sixth in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 ½ miles at Royal Ascot in June 2015.
In the race following the veterans’ handicap chase, Hermes Allen (9-4) led throughout the Grade 2 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at 2 5/8 miles, winning by a smart nine lengths over 17-2 Music Drive.
Trained by the red-hot Paul Nicholls, Hermes Allen, 5, was ridden by Harry Cobden, A French-bred gelding by Poliglote, Hermes Allen is unbeaten in two jump races, having won a maiden hurdle at 2 ¾ miles at Stratford Racecourse on Oct. 16.
The win on Friday puts Hermes Allen among the early contenders for the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, a race with the same name as Friday’s event, at the popular four-day National Hunt festival in March. The problem for Hermes Allen, and the other British-based runners, is the March race will be loaded with top-level candidates from Ireland, who have dominated the festival in recent years.
Cheltenham began its three-day November meeting on Friday. Racing continues on Saturday and Sunday. First post time on Saturday is 7:35 a.m. Eastern with wagering available through DRFBets.com.
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