Bateaux London Gold Cup: Anthony Honeyball and Regal Encore back for more after dramatic hat-trick last year
Regal Encore returns to defend Bateaux London Gold Cup title and is joined by stablemate Sojourn; Kid Commando, Sully D'Oc AA and Firestream all represent Anthony Honeyball at Ascot; watch the Bateaux London Gold Cup meeting live on Sky Sports Racing on Saturday from 1.35pm
Friday 29 October 2021 14:04, UK
Anthony Honeyball might never again experience a day quite as spectacular as the one he enjoyed at Ascot’s opening jumps card last season, but it won’t be for want of trying.
Twelve months on from his extraordinary 308/1 treble with Regal Encore, Kid Commando and Sully D'Oc AA, Honeyball is back with the same three horses, plus two more live chances, and while the competition looks every bit as hot again, he expects them all to be competitive.
Reflecting on last October, when a not unexpected novices' handicap chase success with Sully D'Oc AA was followed swiftly by a Listed handicap hurdle win from Kid Commando and the feature chase success of stable favourite Regal Encore, Honeyball said: "It was a fantastic day."
For a stable of around 40 horses at the time to have three runners on a card like that was an achievement in itself, but to have three winners was a hell of an effort.
The veteran Regal Encore, part of the furniture and ridden daily by his wife Rachael, will always have a special place in Honeyball's affections.
It would be asking a lot for him to win a race as classy as the Bateaux London Gold Cup Handicap Chase - the old Sodexo Gold Cup - off a mark of 149 at the age of 13.
Though if he is going to be competitive anywhere, it will be at Ascot. His win in the race last year was his fourth there, and he was also second to Vinndication in the corresponding race 12 months earlier.
Honeyball said: "There are three very valuable three-mile handicap chases at Ascot every season, and 'Regal' has won them all and been placed in them too.
"He handles Ascot seriously well, as over three miles, those first three fences come quick and you have to be on your 'A' game, and that suits him.
"You never know when his age might catch up with him, but he seems in great form and if we've got him where we think we've got him, he should at least be on the premises."
Regal Encore will not be going to post alone in the London Gold Cup, for Honeyball has also declared last season's easy Carlisle winner Sojourn, a relative stripling at just eight and a chaser with his future still ahead of him.
Honeyball said: "Sojourn is a lovely, lovely horse and we've always thought the world of him. He travels better than an out-and-out mudlark and he was second in the Tommy Whittle last season after winning at Carlisle by a wide margin.
"He's normally a good jumper and it's lovely to have him in there with 'Regal'. Hopefully he'll get a good position and then sit and travel. He'll hopefully run well, and he might be a tad over-priced."
First out of the blocks on Saturday will be Kid Commando in the novices' handicap chase won last year by Sully D'Oc AA.
Honeyball has high hopes of him as a chaser and said: "He's really impressing with his jumping at home and he's in great, great order, so I would fancy his chances of being there or thereabouts. He's very straightforward and has a lovely attitude."
Sully D'Oc AA ended last season with a good win at Punchestown and so when he resumes in the Byrne Group Chase, he will be off a mark 22lb higher than for last year's novice win.
He had the option of waiting for the Haldon Gold Cup, but owner JP McManus, who also has Regal Encore, loves having runners at Ascot on a Saturday and Honeyball is happy to be running him here.
Honeyball said: "We beat Editeur Du Gite here a year ago, and then he beat us at Aintree before we won at Punchestown. They meet for a third time and the score is one-all at present. Sully D'Oc doesn't want it too soft, but it should be fine for him at Ascot.
"He had a busy spring, as he ran at all of the festivals, but he's in good order and he should be fit enough."
Alongside the four strong handicap runners, the stable will also be represented in the concluding bumper, with Firestream its chosen candidate from three runners.
Honeyball is quite sweet on him and said: "He's never run before, but he's by Yeats out of the Lanzarote Hurdle winner Swincombe Flame, who was placed in Grade One races, and he's always gone well.
"He's a brother to Master Debonair, who won a Listed bumper, so he's got the pedigree for it, and he's a nice looking individual too. We are looking forward to him."
Success breeds success, as we know, and win or lose at Ascot, the action at Honeyball's Potwell Farm Stables in Dorset is definitely stepping up a gear or two.
He revealed: "Numbers-wise we are up to around 55 now, including lots of youngsters who might not even run this season, and we are building a new barn to house another 24 horses.
"We've cleared another area where we could put another barn as part of the same project, and so things are moving."
They certainly are.
