Duke Of Bedford produced a masterclass in jumping to capture the Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool, negotiating the 5500m and 33 obstacles with minimal error.
His victory added him to a select group of horses, becoming the first since Gold Medals in 2018 to win both the Grand Annual and the Brierly Steeplechase (3450m) in the same week.
The Grand Annual triumph saw Duke Of Bedford earn a $50,000 bonus on top of his $192,500 winner’s purse.
Under Arron Lynch and backed as the $3.70 betting sites favourite, he controlled the race from the outset and powered clear to win by 12 lengths from Instigator ($5.50), with Bazini ($15) further behind in third.
Trainer Andrew Bobbin, who made a career shift from football and television to horse racing, was honest about his initial expectations for the gelding.
“The Brierly was the goal, but I might have undersold his ability,” Bobbin told racing.com.
“Our record with jumpers is immaculate.
“Our property is built for stayers, but the only stayers we have are jumpers.
“The stayers I buy are no good, so when the time is right and we get the right staying horses, we know that we can keep them sound, keep them improving all the time and this horse is testament to the whole operation.”
Bobbin’s base near Stawell is built on heavy sand, which aids in conditioning horses while keeping them sound.
Lynch took over from William McCarthy, who guided the horse to Tuesday’s win, and delivered a bold front-running ride.
“I was watching him go around and I thought ‘Lynchy, what are you doing’,” Bobbin said.
“He kept finding and finding and I thought we’re going to stop soon, but coming down the hill the second time, he’s only got to get over the last few, and that’s what he was able to do.
“What a ride, a confident ride, and every jockey tells me, he might look like he’s doing too much, but he’s just cruising.”
Despite a history of misfortune in the Grand Annual, Lynch finally had things fall into place, though not without a nervous moment early in the race.
He initially struggled to direct Duke Of Bedford onto the correct course when heading down the hill, only to be helped by fellow rider Tom Ryan.
“He was a bit suspect there and Tom Ryan (on Count Zero) came up and helped guide me around,” Lynch said.
“I’ve had a lot of back luck in the race. I’ve come off going over the double, I’ve had horses fall in front of me like last year.
“I’ve had horses take me on from a mile out and burn me up, so today, out in front, no bad luck, we got the job done.”
