Harry takes the helm as Dan and his brother Protect Rat celebrate the victory of the 11-long at Haydock Park. It’s never simple to evaluate the merits of winning a major race when the odds on the favorites fall through. According to Skelton, he found this trophy in the dark when he was Paul Nichols’ assistant.
Race’s retails
In the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, Protectrat trailed Plastad by nearly 18 lengths (1-2 shots in the race on Saturday), but Plastad’s jockey R. Blackmore got him coming early and gave him the victory at home. At any point in the race, the gelding never moved like the top jockeys.
Blackmore pulled it off before the next jump after the penultimate one, winning by a wide margin with Protectrat. Skelton said that he has always thought the horse has potential to improve. Finally, with the best jump, he thought he could finish second in the Gold Cup, but he came first.
A Plus Tard, who had won the same race admirably twelve months prior, disappointed, leaving Blackmore and De Bromhead embarrassed. He has never been happier, Blackmore admitted. The Gold Cup champion was in “great shape” during the flight from Ireland.
Skelton’s seventh G1 triumph during his racing career—and the most honored and precious—was the Protectorate triumph. The Gold Cup was Protectorate’s primary goal, and now with Plastad, they have approximately 10 wins and 1 loss.
This is the owners’ syndicate’s second victory
The spectacular winner of the graduation ticket race, Hitman, may be pursuing King George VI on Boxing Day. The day’s shows by the famous horses and their riders were the standouts as the eagerly anticipated reappearance of the previous year’s contest winners was delayed due to dryland issues, as well as the $16,000 race.
There were only 29 competitors on the £355,000 Ascot card after Constitution Hill, Edward Stone, and Rum Press were likewise disqualified from their competitions. The main winners were Goshen, who defeated Bruin Pastorm in a four-way Coral Barrier match, and Kool Cody, who triumphed in the 1965 Chase match.
