News

Rebel routs rivals in Doncaster romp

  • Posted: Monday, 11th January 2021

British point-to-pointer The Golden Rebel trounced a big field when making a winning debut under Rules at Doncaster today for trainer Ben Case.

Owned by Julie Wadland, and trained by her until recently, seven-year-old The Golden Rebel started at 33/1 and was ridden to victory in a 16-runner maiden hurdle by Britain’s champion point-to-point rider Jack Andrews. The partnership made all and scored by 29 lengths from the Nicky Henderson-trained Valsheda, who was half a length ahead of third-placed Royal Pretender, the 11/10 favourite from Alan King’s stable.

Wadland, who lives near Rugby in Warwickshire, said: “We bought The Golden Rebel as a three-year-old in the belief that he would be good enough to win under Rules. He had been ready to run since October, and we entered him at several point-to-point meetings. He would have run at Charing or Larkhill either side of Christmas, but both were called off.

“We knew he had improved since last season, and I was half thinking of running him under Rules. When pointing stopped I decided to send him to Ben Case.

“He jumped so well today, apart from a mistake at the last, but that just shows how point-to-pointing has been good for him. He’s for sale.”

The Golden Rebel ran in three point-to-point bumpers before tackling a maiden point-to-point at Cottenham. Andrews dismounted that day and said the horse would win next time out, but he was booked to ride at Thorpe Lodge and missed out when The Golden Rebel broke his duck in murky conditions at Cocklebarrow (pictured above). Sam Lee deputised, but Andrews was back in the saddle when the horse followed up with a restricted win at Charing before the spring lockdown.

Wadland said that her Maisemore Park winner Golden Tobouggan is ticking over and she is hoping to run him in points or hunter chases in the near future.

Port Of Mars was another ex-British pointer who landed a win this afternoon. Successful for Sophie Lacey’s stable at Brocklesby Park in February 2018, Port Of Mars (9/2) landed a beginners’ chase for trainer Olly Murphy and jockey Aidan Coleman at Hereford.