Knappers Hill (3/1 favourite) beat Boombawn and Alto Alto to win bet365 Novices' Championship Final Handicap Hurdle and Sandown on Saturday; Paul Nicholls crowned champion trainer for 13th time at jumps season finale
Saturday 23 April 2022 18:23, UK
It was a day of multiple celebrations for Paul Nicholls as the champion trainer landed a five-timer at Sandown's jumps season finale on Saturday.
Nicholls began the day by lifting the championship trophy for the 13th time and then went on to be victorious in the opening three contests, headlined by returning Celebration Chase winner Greaneteen.
After initially tracking his pacesetting stablemate Rouge Vif, Harry Cobden - who rode four of Nicholls' winners and ended the season with a tally of 99 - sent Greaneteen to the lead racing down the back straight, with Harry Skelton quickly covering the move aboard his main market rival Nube Negra.
But it was clear soon after jumping the third fence from the finish that the leader had far more left in the locker and he powered clear from the home turn to score by 12 lengths. Sceau Royal came through to beat a tiring Nube Negra to the runner-up spot.
That came after Saint Calvados produced a dominant front-running display to claim top honours in the bet365 Oaksey Chase, while Knappers Hill provided some more icing on the cake when taking the bet365 Novices' Championship Final Handicap Hurdle.
Though there were just four runners in the bet365 Select Hurdle, the Grade Two event proved a fascinating contest with McFabulous (4/1) getting the better of what turned out to be a sprint finish to the extended two-mile-and-five-furlong event.
In a tactical affair, where the eight-year-old made virtually all the running, Lorcan Williams employed a stop-start pace. Though he looked a sitting duck, his jumping proved decisive and he sealed the victory with a good leap at the penultimate flight and held on to beat Indefatigable by a length, giving Nicholls a fourth win on the card.
The trainer said: "He has loads of ability and he loves that ground. I don't know why he saves his best for going right-handed, but he will go chasing now.
"He is not the easiest of rides, but he has lots of ability. It is a good pot to win this year and he runs well at Aintree. He will go chasing in October. I will start him at Chepstow and then see what happens.
"He would have gone there this year if he had not had an accident in the yard and then it was too late to go chasing - he slipped up and fractured a tiny vertebra in his wither and it just kept him back.
"He will be an exciting chaser. He will get three (miles) round Kempton on a Flat track. He would be a good one for the Kauto Star at Kempton and we might work back from that, but that is a long way off."
Samarrive completed a memorable afternoon for team Ditcheat with victory in the bet365 Handicap Hurdle, beating Kaxamos and Call Me Lord.
Reflecting on the results, Nicholls said: "Five winners - what an amazing day! The only mistake I made was steering Cobby (Cobden) towards Scaramanga, not McFabulous, otherwise he would have ridden 100 winners.
"That's how it goes. I got it wrong and we can't get it right all the time, but I just felt for Cobby to be that close to that ton.
"It has been an amazing day. We have an amazing team and Kate (Nutt, travelling head girl) and Harry's (Derham, assistant trainer) last day with the horse they saddle is a winner. It is a new thing next year with a new team and we move forward. It never stops.
"Clifford (Baker, head lad) has been with me such a long time and we both love the game and that's why we do it. We have some lovely horses and this week we have had an amazing week with a few winners.
"The horses have all come right and why they weren't back in January, I'll never ever know.
"Of course, any day you go racing, you'd be happy with one winner. To get five is just amazing. I did six one day at Wincanton, but five, on a day like today, on the last day of the season, is incredible."
Derham was delighted to end his Ditcheat tenure in such spectacular style, adding: "It could not have been much better. This week has been amazing. Today has been a little bit of a daze, really.
"It has been my life. I've known nothing else and Paul has been the boss forever.
"Honestly, I've not known how I have felt all day. I have tried to soak it all in and enjoy the day and then this has happened. It will take a long time to sink in.
"I could not have dreamed of it being better. We will have a good celebration tonight - and tomorrow!"
