Cole Harden beaten again on second attempt over fences

Report: Ffos Las, Tuesday

Weatherbys General Stud Book Online Beginners' Chase (Class 4) | 3m, 5yo+

Cole Harden's second attempt at a chasing career ended the same way as his first, with the one-time World Hurdle winner comfortably beaten into second by a horse rated vastly his inferior over hurdles.

This time it was Harry Fry's Sir Ivan who proved too good for Warren Greatrex's stable star.

The seven-year-old, rated 135 over hurdles – some 22lb below Cole Harden – had failed to complete in three of his previous five chasing starts but dropped his maiden tag over fences here in commanding fashion.

Always travelling best

Sir Ivan's rider Noel Fehily tracked the odds-on favourite the whole way round and, with just a four-runner field, the status quo was maintained until they straightened up for the final time.

Gavin Sheehan had been niggling at the odds-on favourite rounding the bend and once they were over the fourth last it became clear Fehily was travelling best on the 2-1 shot.

He breezed past the 2015 Cheltenham Festival winner after the third-last but then absolutely walked through the second-last, going right through the middle of the fence. It opened the door slightly for Cole Harden, who was not let down by his jumping, but he was unable to pick up and Sir Ivan held his one-and-a-quarter-length advantage to the line under little more than a hands and heels drive, with Fehily administering a couple of backhanded flicks to keep him up to his work.

"You wouldn't expect him to beat the likes of Cole Harden, but Cole Harden probably isn't the horse he was," said Fehily - who finished three and a half lengths in front of Cole Harden in this year's Stayers' Hurdles on Unowhatimeanharry. He added: "My horse took a chance at the first ditch and the second last, but overall he's a good jumper."

"We'll carry on over fences"

Greatrex echoed Fehily's sentiments and intends to keep the eight-year-old on the go over the summer, mixing chasing with hurdles. "I thought he jumped okay, he's just not blessed with a whole heap of scope," said the trainer.

"So with the way he runs his races, that's probably why he'll never be as good over fences. Over hurdles he's a really quick jumper, but over fences he's much steadier.

"We'll carry on over fences, because over hurdles there's not much for him. We'll pick and choose where the ground suits him. He likes this kind of ground. He's getting to the age where he's not improving anymore, so we've got to enjoy him while we can."

Race result