SATURDAY, 17 MARCH, 2018 RIVER FLOWS TO WINGS OF EAGLES KIN SETS NEW RECORD AT HK INT=L SALE by Alan Carasso GOLD CUP GLORY A Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) gelded half-brother to 2017 G1 Investec Derby hero Wings of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {GB}) fetched a final bid of HK$11 million (,1,006,423/i1,141,773/ A$1,810,647/US$1,402,492) to establish a new record price at Friday=s Hong Kong International Sale conducted in the parade ring at Sha Tin Racecourse. The previous mark of HK$10.5 million was set just last year by a son of Hussonet. With two late scratches, a total of 26 Northern and Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds went under the hammer and, as widely expected, it was lot 17 that stole the show. Bred in Great Britain by Mme Aliette Forien, the April foal is a son of 2005 G1 Poule d=Essai des Pouliches third-place finisher Ysoldina (Fr) (Kendor {Fr}), whose half-brother Belle et Celebre (Fr) (Peintre Celebre) was the winner of the G1 Prix Saint-Alary. Lot 17 was acquired by the Hong Kong Jockey Club=s Mark Richards and his team at the 2016 Arqana August Yearling Sale for i130,000 from the consignment of Haras de Montaigu, where Wings of Eagles is Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Native River | Racing Post photo standing his first year at stud in 2018. Cont. p7 By Emma Berry CHELTENHAM, UK--Irish challengers may have dominated this year's Cheltenham Festival but the trophies for all three championship races will stay at home after Brocade Racing's Native River (Ire) (Indian River {Fr}) denied a Nicky Henderson clean sweep when outclassing favourite Might Bite (Ire) (Scorpion {Ire}) to give trainer Colin Tizzard his first G1 Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup. Yet more overnight rain had turned the already testing conditions into a slog, and three non-runners reduced the field to 15, but from the early stages the race quickly became a duel as Richard Johnson took to the front from the off on Native River and rode with no intention of ceding that position. He may be champion jockey, but Johnson had been all but invisible this week at Cheltenham. When it mattered most, Record-setting lot 17 | HKJC photo however, he grabbed his chance to shine, his 8-year-old mount proving the perfect ally for a test that demanded foot-perfect jumping and an unrelenting gallop throughout. Charged with delivering Henderson's dream of an unprecedented hat-trick in IN TDN AMERICA TODAY the week's trio of big races, Nico de Boinville shadowed Native REBEL A ‘SOLO’ ACT River throughout on the King George winner, with Might Bite Zayat Stables’ Solomini (Curlin) takes on GISW Sporting Chance just briefly gaining the upper hand at the penultimate fence. (Tiznow) in Saturday’s $900,000 GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Park. Cont. p2 Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 2 OF 8 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • 17 MARCH, 2018 River Flows To Gold Cup Glory cont. from p1 He continued, "From four out he just kept picking up. I could see Might Bite next to me and going to two fences out he looked But the horse who had previously shown his mettle by winning to be travelling quite well, but I knew Native River is a stayer and the famously grueling Welsh I felt we had to try to give him as Grand National hadn't even much to do as possible. He begun to get to the bottom of I FIRST CAME HERE AS A 17-YEAR-OLD answered every call and at the his stamina reserves and as WITH HAIR DOWN TO MY SHOULDERS last he was very brave. Up the others found finishing kicks run-in he just kept going. I'm not swamped by the mud, Native AND WATCHED THE GOLD CUP FROM sure we will see such testing River dug deep to regain the THE MIDDLE OF THE COURSE. conditions again at Cheltenham, advantage over the one final but he's a warrior and it's a Colin Tizzard obstacle which stood in his path pleasure to ride him." for glory. Colin Tizzard has long since "To be honest, I was a turned his attention from dairy passenger," said Johnson, whose farming to training and the West modesty is as much his Countryman now has one of the trademark as is his unquestionable skill in the saddle. "He's a most powerful stables of jumpers in the UK. However, like so fantastic horse to ride. He loves jumping and almost waits for many of his colleagues throughout the first three days of the things in front and just does what he has to. I thought we had Festival he simply had no riposte to the relentless form of the gone quite steady but sometimes when you are on a good horse runners from the rival Irish yards of Willie Mullins and Gordon it doesn't feel that quick, and I thought I needed to move it on a Elliott. gear down the back straight and the more I asked from him, the better he jumped." Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 3 OF 8 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • 17 MARCH, 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup Day cont. His luck changed come Friday, with 19-year-old Harry Cobden starring at Cheltenham for the first time to win the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle aboard 33/1 shot Kilbricken Storm (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) to set up a quickfire Grade 1 double for Tizzard. Unsuccessfully fending off tears after the Gold Cup, the trainer said, "I first came here as a 17-year-old with hair down to my shoulders and watched the Gold Cup from the middle of the course. To have a runner in it would have been fantastic then but to win it is unbelievable. Richard Johnson was every bit as good as the horse." Vice President, International Operations Gary King Tizzard has had his chances in the race, with the massively Twitter: @garykingTDN popular dual Festival winner Cue Card (GB) (King's Theatre {Ire}) [email protected] having twice fallen, while Native River was third to Sizing John + 1.732.320.0975 (GB) (Midnight Legend {GB}) last year and has run just once since then, when winning at Newbury on Feb. 10. He added, "It's International Editor unreal. It's the fourth day and the Irish have been winning Kelsey Riley everything--I was thinking our form is not as good as we Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN imagined. Then Richard Johnson gives that brave horse that sort [email protected] of ride and everything changes. When Might Bite came European Editor alongside, I thought 'oh, no', but then Richard was brilliant. You Emma Berry wouldn't tell him what to do, because he knew what he was Twitter: @collingsberry going to do a week ago." [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen Twitter: @AlaynaCullen [email protected] Contributing Editor Alan Carasso Twitter: @EquinealTDN Cafe Racing Sean Cronin Native River and Richard Johnson | racingfotos.com Tom Frary [email protected] Richard Johnson last won the Gold Cup back in 2000 aboard Looks Like Trouble (Ire) (Zaffaran). Now 26, the grand old chaser Irish Correspondent still lives with the jockey and his wife Fiona, whose father Noel Daithi Harvey Chance trained him, as well as the 1997 winner Mr Mulligan (Ire) (Torus {GB}). Regular Columnists "It's been a long 18 years," said Johnson with a grin. "For me Andrew Caulfield the Gold Cup is the most important race of the year. I know for John Berry some people the Grand National is the people's race, but this is Kevin Blake Tom Peacock the best of the best. It's everyone's dream to own a Gold Cup horse and to ride one is brilliant; to win it twice now is fantastic. Cont. p4 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 4 OF 8 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • 17 MARCH, 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup Day cont. The championship has always been my main target but when you can have one or two of these along the way, they are very special. "It is always down to the horse. If you are on the right horse and get into the right rhythm, it makes riding from the front almost easier as there is nothing to get in your way." Gordon Elliott's Outlander (Ire) was pulled up two fences from home in the Gold Cup but that did little to dent his supremacy at the 2018 Cheltenham Festival. The trainer saddled another two winners on the final day--Farclas (Fr) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}) in the G1 JCB Triumph Hurdle and Blow By Blow (Ire) (Robin Des Champs {Fr}) in the Martin Pipe Conditionals' Hurdle--to lead the Festival for the second year running, his eight winners equalling the record held by Willie Mullins. Elliott's final-day double again came in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud, making Michael O'Leary the leading owner at the Festival with seven wins. Gordon Elliott with his leading trainer trophy | Racing Post photo The remainder of the card fell to British stables, with Paul Nicholls--for so many years the leading trainer at this event in the glory days of Kauto Star (Fr) and Denman (Ire)--winning the St James's Place Foxhunter for the second year running with Pacha Du Polder (Fr) (Muthathir {GB}), ridden by Cheltenham debutante Harriet Tucker. Nicholls also claimed the final race of the meeting, the G3 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual with Le Prezien (Fr) (Blue Bresil {Fr}) to give JP McManus a second win of the week to add to his Champion Hurdle trophy.