Deserved Success For Fondmort

Fondmort, ridden by Mick Fitzgerald for trainer Nicky Henderson, won a thrilling Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival from the fast-finishing Lacdoudal.

Henderson's charge took up the running turning into the straight and just had enough in the tank to hold on for a well-deserved victory.

The course specialist was collecting at the home of jumps racing for the fourth time after coming a short-head second in the corresponding race last season. Impek was third.

A frenetic pace was set up front by the Tony McCoy-ridden Impek and Timmy Murphy on board Our Vic, and when the latter cracked coming down the hill the race looked at Impek's mercy.

However, even though McCoy had a look round turning in, Fitzgerald was getting a race-winning run out of the admirable Fondmort and the 10-3 joint-favourite went on to prevail by a length and a quarter.

Impek, the other market leader, was edged out of second by a head on the run-in by Lacdoudal, who came from the clouds up the hill as Fondmort started to tire.

'What can I say about him? He is just unbelievable,' said Fitzgerald. 'The boss and myself knew in our heart of hearts he was the one this year and he never lets you down.

'I thought I just got beat by a better horse last year and there was nothing of the quality of Thisthatandtother this time.'

Henderson said: 'He just loves this place more than anything in the world. His jumping and his whole performance was unreal.

'We struggled to win a hurdle race with him but we found out years and years ago that he is as tough as you can get.

'A year ago he got beaten a short head so he deserves this.

'To get one on the scoreboard is the first objective but for him to go and do it is special because he has been a star for so many years now.'

Lacdoudal's trainer Philip Hobbs said: 'He was flying at the finish and all he needed was another 100 yards and we might have had a different result.

'He is possibly more effective at three miles and he got a bit outpaced early on, as we thought he would, but he has run very well.'

Impek's trainer Henrietta Knight was upset about a problem down at the start.

'You don't usually see me so angry but I am absolutely seething, he was all worked up by the time I got to the start,' she said.

'I couldn't get a bucket for him anywhere and in the end I had to borrow one for him from the catering staff.

'We raced cross country to get to him but he had already spun round and dropped him once and by the time I was there his brain had gone.

'Tony was screaming at them to wait for him when he was out of line but they wouldn't wait and you just don't need that with this horse as everything has to go the way he wants it.

'There were three false starts at this meeting yesterday and for a premier meeting that is disgraceful, the standard of the starts this week has been poor and I think I will be talking to the stewards about it.'

Owner Jim Lewis was more philosophical.

'AP was unhappy the way the start was conducted when the starter appeared to let them go before he was on the course proper.

'You need everything to go right but we will live to fight another day and Fondmort is a very good horse around here.'

? PA Sport