Forward Plan landed the Kempton feature for the Ben Godfrey and Anthony Honeyball combo; Blow Your Wad claimed victory in a thrilling Pendil Novices' Chase while Kalif Du Berlais maintained an unbeaten start to life for Paul Nicholls in the Adonis
Saturday 24 February 2024 16:48, UK
Forward Plan took the Coral Trophy prize in a stunning finish for Ben Godfrey and Anthony Honeyball, seeing off Al Dancer and Bowtogreatness at Kempton.
Ben Godfrey's charge charged home late on to seal the win for trainer Anthony Honeyball, in a race that went down to the wire at Kempton.
The winner holds an entry for the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival and has had his odds slashed from 40/1 into 10/1 for the Prestbury Park clash.
Al Dancer - who ran admirably for the duration - led first time around closely followed by Unanswered Prayers and Blackjack Magic.
Dylan Johnston's eleven-year-old looked to have gone clear of the pack whilst Flegmatik tried to claw back the advantage down the inside and Forward Plan attempted a similar task through the centre.
But as they jumped the last, Forward Plan found a stunning turn of foot and charged through the middle to net the £150,000 prize for his connections in a stunning finish for the bumper crowd in Surrey.
Stan Sheppard landed Grade Two success for Tom Lacey with an exceptional ride aboard Blow Your Wad in the Coral Pendil Novices' Chase.
The six-year-old saw off Tahmuras and Harry Cobden to claim the £75,000 prize, with Pembroke taking the bronze medal in third.
Places were mostly unchanged when the runners turned left-handed into the back, seven obstacles from home. Quickly, the contest became a three-horse race with Cobden applying pressure from behind Blow Your Wad and Pembroke.
Pembroke ran out of steam in the straight, leaving the opposing duo to fight it out to the finish. Blow Your Wad eventually managed to hold off an ever-advancing Tahmuras for a slender victory despite the best efforts of Cobden in the saddle.
Kalif Du Berlais maintained his unbeaten record for Paul Nicholls with a hard-fought success in the Coral Adonis Juvenile Hurdle - his first Grade Two victory.
GIvemefive took the lead going over the penultimate obstacle but was powerless to stop Cobden mounting what would prove to be a successful challenge.
The pair drew neck-and-neck following the last, but Nicholls' protege was able to find the extra yard to see off Brooks Koepka and Graham McDowell's charge.
Paul Nicholls said: "He's shown he can tough it out, he's given them all weight but whether we rode him right, I don't know - I'll see what Harry says.
"He's had a hard race today, so I'd say he won't run in the Triumph. Aintree is a possibility I suppose, if we're happy, but if he didn't run again [this season] it wouldn't matter."
Lump Sum roared to a convincing victory in the Coral Dovecote Novices' Hurdle for Sam Twiston-Davies and Sam Thomas.
Fiercely Proud started well and was almost alongside Harry Cobden's Panjari as they turned for home, with Williethebuilder making ground efficiently behind.
Approaching the straight, Lump Sum began to make headway as he was nudged along by Twiston-Davies, but the race was anyone's with six lengths separating the front and back markers.
Lump Sum and Fiercely Proud sailed over the final hurdle together but the former proved too strong, eventually being driven out to victory by a four-length margin.
Gary Moore's Mark Of Gold eased to a three-and-a-quarter length victory in the Coral Racing Club Handicap Hurdle to open Saturday's action.
David Maxwell's Joker De Mai finished second, whilst No Ordinary Joe followed in third for Nicky Henderson.
His next port of call could be the Coral Cup at Cheltenham, where his odds have been halved from 20/1 since his Kempton triumph.
