3 minute read
Tom Bellamy’s excellent run of things continued when the likeable Charisma Cat ran out a comfortable scorer of the BetVictor British EBF 'National Hunt' Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Newbury.
Bellamy enjoyed a breakthrough winner at the Cheltenham Festival last week and was once again seen to good effect when steering Alan King's topweight Charisma Cat to victory.
A winner in Listed company in a bumper last season, Charisma Cat has shown mixed form over hurdles and was looking to get back to winning ways having finished second in a novice event at Market Rasen last month.
It looked as though Dan Skelton's Getawhiskey had her in her sights heading down the final flight, but she found little once asked for an effort, while in contrast, Charisma Cat galloped on out in front to stretch three and quarter lengths clear of Pismo Beach, who in turn, had a length and three quarters to spare over Shotgun Shirley in spare.
The winning rider told Sky Sports Racing: "She's a cracker, she really is. She deserved to go and do that because it's been a mixed bag over hurdles so far.
"She was good in bumpers. I rode her on Boxing Day and she was sixes-on and got beat, so you question things then. Her jumping ability wasn't good enough and there's still a bit to work on.
"She's quite a tricky ride because you don't know what to do on her half the time. To win in spite of all of that, she's got a lot of ability."
Alan King added: "She was a very good bumper filly, but it was her jumping in the early part of the season. She schooled great at home, ran well here on debut and then never jumped a hurdle at Wincanton.
"The cheekpieces have just sharpened her up today, she wasn't showing her full potential."
Later on the card, the Hughie Morrison-trained Lady Hope, sent off 33/1, sprang a big surprise when finishing with a flourish to make a winning debut in the valuable Goffs Hundred Grand Bumper, completing a double for sire Nathaniel.
Carrying the colours of Martin Hughes and Michael Kerr-Dineen, she showed a bright turn of foot in the closing stages to sweep past both Madam Speaker and Irish Goodbye under Johnny Burke.
Morrison said: "Before Christmas I said to Martin (Hughes, part-owner) that she is a lovely looking filly who deserves to go for a decent race. They are all decent these bumpers, so we thought why not have a day out at Newbury.
"We had a blip a couple of weeks ago with a bruised foot and I thought she wasn't going to make it here but she's obviously a quality mare.
"We've always liked her as a physical specimen and the way she moves, but most of my bumper horses are basically a mile and a half horse who on the winter ground just don't get home. The others work all over her and we were hoping just to have a nice day out to be honest.
"She was green, she didn't know what she was doing and she won with her ears pricked. She's obviously got a superb engine and was expertly bought by Paul Webber at the sales."
He added: "She gets a bonus for this as well, so she's just won around £85,000. What's the point in running her again and it takes so much out of them these races.
"She's only just four so I think she deserves a few more lessons jumping before being turned out into the paddock and allowed to grow up."