Mark Of Gold made a winning debut over fences in an eventful renewal of the Howden Noel Novices’ Chase at Ascot.
Although the winner of seven races over hurdles and three on the Flat, the Gary and Josh Moore-trained seven-year-old looked to have plenty on his plate making his fencing bow at Grade Two level and was an 11-2 outsider of four come the off.
Personal Ambition and Rare Edition were the two at the head of affairs for much of the two-mile-three-furlong journey, with an early mistake from 13-8 favourite Johnnywho quickly putting him on the back foot and he never really recovered.
After seeing off Rare Edition, Personal Ambition looked to have the upper hand over the staying-on Mark Of Gold on the approach to the final fence, but the leader dived badly at the obstacle, leaving jockey Ben Jones with both hands off the reins and he ultimately did well to keep the partnership intact.
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Whether that error made the difference between winning and losing is uncertain, but it cost Personal Ambition crucial momentum and left the door open for Mark Of Gold to claim the advantage and pass the post 2¼ lengths to the good under Caoilin Quinn.
Having looked set to be tailed off at one stage, Johnnywho made some late headway to beat a fading Rare Edition to third place.
Of the winner, Josh Moore said: “He’s a good horse, we were confident coming here. It’s a big thing to do, first time over fences around Ascot, it’s a tricky track to jump round. It was a small field and it was just like running in a normal novice chase, but you can’t get them any more, you’d rather start here and give the horse a good experience. We’ve done that, he’s picked up a good prize in doing it. He is a good horse and I was quietly confident.”
Considering plans, the joint-trainer added: “He’s a versatile horse, he happily switches back to the Flat, goes on slow ground, he’s competitive over hurdles and he’s obviously competitive over fences. He’s jumped so well around here today and that’s a big thing first time over fences. We’ll have to seriously look at plans over fences now because he’s taken to them so well. He made one mistake but he ... needed to help him learn.”
When asked whether he felt the final fence mistake cost Personal Ambition victory, trainer Ben Pauling replied: “I think so, yes. It’s unfortunate as he jumped really well for him; he was just on absolutely no stride and how Ben stayed intact I do not know. He did pick up again, so I don’t think he was cooked but that’s racing. You have to jump and he didn’t.”
Elsewhere, Captain Bellamy has been disqualified and his rider Lorcan Williams suspended for 14 days after the Whip Review Committee confirmed the jockey had fallen foul of the whip rules in his winning ride at Newbury on Wednesday.
The Paul Nicholls-trained Captain Bellamy passed the post a head winner of the Visit Warren Greatrex Racing At Rhonehurst EBF Stallions NH Novices’ Hurdle, but it soon became clear that Williams had appeared to use his whip above the permitted number, seven.
The review committee on Friday ruled Williams went four times over the maximum and deemed that because none were “clearly and unequivocally for safety purposes”, Captain Bellamy should be disqualified, meaning Ben Pauling’s runner-up De Kingpin has been promoted to first place.
Captain Bellamy becomes the third winner to be disqualified since revised whip rules were implemented last year. Alphonse Le Grande was disqualified from first place in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket in October but was reinstated upon appeal.
Williams will be suspended for 14 days, from January 3rd to 16th inclusive, meaning he will be free to ride Golden Ace in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park on St Stephen’s Day, should Jeremy Scott decide to run his star mare in the Grade One contest.
Williams missed the 2023 Cheltenham festival as part of an 18-day ban for breaching the whip rules during the week they came into force, following a winning ride on Makin’yourmindup in a Grade Two at Haydock.
