Traditionally the Festival Trials Day is the last event held at the course before the Cheltenham Festival is held there in March. The event is the second to be called off at Cheltenham this year, the New Year’s Day meeting also had to be called off due to rain. The Uttoxeter meeting on Sunday was also called off after succumbing to a waterlogged course.
Therefore it was the action at Doncaster on Saturday that would take centre stage with The Great Yorkshire Chase the headline event. The Listed National Hunt handicap chase is run over 3 miles and is open to horses aged five and over.
Runners included Mister Malarky, trained by Colin Tizzard and winner of the Silver Cup over 2m at Ascot in December. The Alan King trained, Canelo who denied Snow Leopardess in the closing stages of the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase on Boxing Day and two-time Cheltenham Festival winner Yorkhill who rolled back the years to win the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle at odds of 66/1.
However, it was the oldest horse in the race, 40-1 shot Takingrisks, ridden by Sean Quinlan that claimed the £43,000 prize. At 12-year-old, few punters gave the horse much of a chance, but the veteran saw off Aye Right and the favourite Cap du Nord into second and third.
It is the third time in Takingrisks long career that he has defied the bookmaker’s odds to win a prestigious race. Ten years ago, as a two-year-old, he won the Scottish Grand National, allowing trainer Nicky Richards to follow his father’s footsteps who won the same event 50 years earlier with Playlord. The unfancied 25-1 shot won by four lengths from Crosspark, with Cloth Cap and Blue Flight close behind.
In November 2019, Takingrisks won the Betfair Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle at 20/1. Beating Captain Chaos priced at 6/1 and Top Ville Ben at 11/2.
Jockey Sean Quinlan seems to know how to get the best out of the often unfancied horse, of the seven races he has ridden him, they have had four wins together.
In the earlier action at Doncaster, Shishkin kept his unbeaten record over fences, the 1/7f winning with ease by eight lengths over Eldorado Allen who was priced at 11/2. The seven-year-old has won six runs on the bounce and is red-hot favourite for the Cheltenham Festival’s Arkle Chase next month. Punters will struggle to find value better than 8/11 for the race.
