Cheltenham Festival form came to the fore on day two of the Cheltenham April Meeting as Golden Ace glided to an easy victory.
The six-year-old mare landed a memorable success at last month’s Festival in the Grade 2 Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, and her improvement showed no sign of stopping on Thursday after her eight-and-a-half-length victory in the feature race.
Despite carrying a five-pound penalty, Jeremy Scott’s stable star put on a display in front of the Prestbury Park crowd, allowing connections to dream of big targets for her next season.
Embed from Getty Images“She’s probably the best mare I’ve ever ridden,” winning jockey Lorcan Williams said. “Hopefully, she’ll keep improving and we’ll go for the Mares’ Hurdle back here next year.
“She looks like a hurdler, so we’ll keep her hurdling to hopefully nick a Grade 1 next season.”
Despite the ease of her win, Williams did have trouble in-running coming down the hill as her rivals tried to block her passage before the second-last hurdle.
However, the unbeaten-over-hurdles mare found a way through despite not having her preferred conditions.
“Coming down the hill, everyone was getting racing and we were a bit short of room, but she organised herself fairly well and I had to just sit tight.
“She’s a much better mare on soft ground but she got away with it today because she is the classiest mare in the race.
“Her jumping was a bit iffy but that’s always been the case.
“I didn’t have to ask many questions; she had a good look in front, and we probably got there a bit too soon, but the gap opened up and I had to take it on good ground.”
Golden Ace is priced at 12/1 for next year’s Grade 1 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle with Lossiemouth, the most recent winner, at 3/1.
Both Jade De Grugy and Brighterdaysahead, two horses she beat in the Grade 2 Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, have won Grade 1s since to frank the form.
Although a step up in trip at next year’s Festival is likely, trainer Scott thinks she’ll be campaigned over two miles at the start of next season.
He said: “She has got a good of turn of foot when she needs it, so if we brush her jumping up coming into next year, she could be competitive at the very top.
“The quicker they go, the more she seems to be able to cope – when she’s good, she’s very good.
“On soft ground, two miles would be right up her street and we can look at those Champion Hurdle trials as well as the various mares races.
“The aim, however, is to be back here over two-and-a-half miles at the Festival.”
Elsewhere on the card, Somespring Special made it two wins in five days as she powered up the Cheltenham hill to win the NAF Mares’ Handicap Chase.
The improving six-year-old gave trainer Anthony Honeyball his fifth success around Prestbury Park having won at Plumpton less than a week before.
“She won at Plumpton and didn’t have any marks on her after that,” explained Honeyball. “So, once she trotted up soundly the next day, I thought that she had to run.”
