Monets Garden blossoms again at Ascot

By Marcus Armytage Published: 8:10PM GMT twenty February 2010

Grey matter: maestro Monet"s Garden gave his younger rivals a masterclass in jumping to win the Betfair Chase at Ascot Photo: PA

However the grey-going-white maestro Monets Garden reminded us on Saturday that equine soundness need not usually be cramped to the Cotswolds in Mar when he put up one of the great displays of jumping to win the Betfair Ascot Chase for a second time.

It was the sort of float even experienced jockeys mental condition about and Barry Geraghty, incompetent to clean the laugh off his face from the disturb of it afterwards, described the Nicky Richards lerned gelding as the most appropriate and bravest jumper he had ever ridden - a small enrich from a Grand National winning jockey.

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"What a spin," he said. "They contend comparison jockeys competence not be as dauntless as they once were but this equine is positively not in that category. He was usually enlivening me to ask him from further."

Monets Garden has been to 3 Festivals but nothing of his sixteen wins from thirty starts have come at Cheltenham even though the Ryanair, over Saturdays dual miles and five furlongs trip, competence have been tailor-made for him. His career, though, should not be sinister since it lacks a success underneath Cleeve Hill.

With Nicky Richards Greystoke back back yard raid by continue problems this year, the grey has outlayed the last 6 weeks camp in Geoff Wraggs Newmarket back back yard in the same box that Takeover Target, an additional Ascot specialist, outlayed his summer visits from Australia in.

"I dont know either Mr Wragg has ever had a Grade 1 follow leader before?" asked Richards after his old stager has jumped his rivals husky to kick Albertas Run one and a half lengths. "Hes tip category at this distance. He and Barry have a really great bargain and get a great balance out of each other. We competence go to Aintree with him or may be well wait for for for Perth."

It has been a churned week for Nicky Henderson but it finished on a high with an Ascot four-timer receiving him to 101 for the season. Not most has left to plan for his dual superfluous Champion Hurdle hopes, Zaynar, knocked about at 1-14 at Kelso on Thursday and Punjabi whose dictated run in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on Saturday was aborted by the weather.

In contrast, though, inside of twenty-four hours of each other, his dual big beginner jump hopes Oscar Whisky (at Sandown on Friday) and, on Saturday at Ascot, Finians Rainbow not usually avoided any banana skins but sailed by their trials similar to intensity Cheltenham winners.

Finians Rainbow never came off the check violence Arkose 3 lengths in the Hope Safe T-Bar Hurdle. "Luckily conjunction he nor Oscar Whisky have been articulate to Zaynar," joked Henderson after Geraghty had described the six-year-old as stone plain in his debrief. "Hes a picturesque candidate."

Henderson finished a quick-fire, really short-priced double, receiving him to the margin of a century, when Burton Port won the Sodexo Prestige Reynoldstown Novice Chase entrance afar from Knockara Beau in the shutting stages to win by 4 lengths.

With Punchestowns and Long Run both in the RSA Chase Henderson is prone to wait for for for Aintree with Burton Port though not since of the unbending foe he would face from his stablemates but because, he felt, after dual discerning runs he had lost a small of the zip he showed at Southwell twelve days before.

Hendersons third winner, Lush Life, was ridden by Ruby Walsh after the tutor had directed Geraghty towards the stables alternative curtain Osric. Lush Life"s feat in the Lomax Novice Hurdle dissapoint Supreme Hurdle second-favourite Menorah, who had found the gait a small walking and set himself up as a aim for Walsh to track down from the last. Menorah will be improved off with a on trial trot at Cheltenham.

Unlike Henderson it was probably not the most appropriate day in the career of Menorah"s tutor Philip Hobbs. Planet of Sound was an early faller in the Ascot Chase whilst his National hope, Dream Alliance, had an off day and was never going when pulled up at the back of Silver By Nature in the Blue Square Gold Cup at Haydock.