Uberalles grabs Tingle hat-trick

Flagship Uberalles won the feature Mitsubishi Shogun Tingle Creek Trophy Chase at Sandown today for a third time with a brilliant victory over Edredon Bleu.

Robert Widger, riding the Philip Hobbs-trained winner in public for the first time, took the race by the scruff of the neck by taking up the running at the third last, the Pond Fence.

It was all over from that point as Flagship Uberalles (7-2) galloped clear of his five rivals and jumped the final two fences impeccably.

He inflicted the third defeat in the race for Edredon Bleu, the 6-5 favourite, by striding home four lengths to the good with Fadalko (5-1) five lengths further away in third.

Widger, 22, said: 'I took a look round. I thought he was just starting to tie up a bit after the last. He has tried to pull himself up a little bit in front.

'He has kept going well. He`s a good horse. He`s a lovely horse to ride.'

Asked how Flagship Uberalles compared with other horses he had ridden, he added: 'There`s a big difference. It`s like a car with four gears and one with seven gears. Everything you ask, he will do it for you.'

American owner Michael Krysztofiak was delighted at the seven-year-old`s hat-trick in this race.

'When he won as a five-year-old two years ago, he made a bit of Sandown history. Then to come up three is pretty exciting,' he said.

'It`s always been about what`s best for the horse,' added Krysztofiak about the reasons behind the horse changing stables first from Paul Nicholls to Noel Chance and then to Hobbs.

All three trainers have saddled Flagship Uberalles to win the Tingle Creek.

Hobbs was celebrating a second big race triumph in successive Saturdays, having taken the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup with What`s Up Boys at Newbury last weekend.

Henrietta Knight took Edredon Bleu`s graciously. She said: 'He`s run a marvellous race. He`s run his heart out but he doesn`t like this ground and it`s probably a bit close to the Peterborough Chase.

'I`ve got no excuses for him, I`m proud of him.

'He can`t that real ping on this ground and he can`t make advantage of his jumping. If it`s good ground he gains lengths in the air.'

The Wantage trainer said that Edredon Bleu was unlikely to run again until the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March, which he won in 2000, the last time the race was run.

Coral today trimmed the price of Flagship Uberalles to 5-1 (from 8-1) for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.

Edredon Bleu is quoted by the same firm as 5-2 favourite to retain the title.

Coral betting: 5-2 Edredon Bleu, 5-1 (from 8-1) Flagship Uberalles, 8-1 Fadalko, Tiutchev, 12-1 Native Upmanship, 14-1 Geos, Wahiba Sands, Latalomne, 16-1 Knife Edge, Bellator, Direct Route, 20-1 Cenkos, Whitenzo, Rockforce, Eskleybrook, Lady Cricket, 25-1 bar.