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First the Caulfield Cup and now the Norwegian Derby for in-form Pat Cosgrave

Pat Cosgrave and Best Solution win the Caulfield Cup
Pat Cosgrave: won the Norwegian Derby on SundayCredit: Racing Photos

Pat Cosgrave can boast the unusual claim of having won the latest runnings of the Caulfield Cup and Norwegian Derby after Scandinavian Classic success capped a great day and week for the in-form rider.

Cosgrave was the toast of Ovrevoll racecourse on Sunday, landing a treble for trainer Niels Petersen that featured odds-on victories in the Listed Norsk Derby on Privilegiado and a Group 3 contest aboard Square De Luynes.

With total prize-money of £130,000, the two black type races were worth winning for a jockey who last October enjoyed the biggest triumph of his career aboard Godolphin's Best Solution in the Caulfield Cup. The Norwegian trip also came within 24 hours of a Windsor double that took Cosgrave's British tally for the week to five.

Cosgrave said on Monday: "I have been to Norway a few times now and had finished third in the Derby before. Niels Petersen's normal jockey wasn't able to ride, so I was invited over and told the horses in the Derby and the Group 3 would win. He was very confident and the prize-money wasn't bad at all, so I went over and had a good day.

"It's quite a unique track, with some ups and downs and a few roads across it. That was their biggest day and they had 7,000 people at the track, which is a big crowd for Norwegian racing. Winning big races for owners who support the sport there was great."

He added: "Things are going well overall and I'm being supported by some nice people. My agent Paul Clarke is doing a good job as well.

"It's lovely riding winners, and everyone seems to be happy with how I'm doing, but at the moment I'm still lacking a really nice horse to ride. Best Solution seems to be on his way back, though, and he felt good when I sat on him the other morning."

When Cosgrave next rides Best Solution in a race he will be able to use a whip – which was not the case on Sunday.

"You can carry a whip in two-year-old races but you can't use it, so I didn't bother carrying one, which you can't anyway in other races," said Cosgrave.

"It is a bit strange leaving the paddock with no whip in your hand. It didn't really bother me and the horses train on the track most days, plus they race on it, so they know where they're going. You have to keep to their rules but for safety reasons it would be nice to carry a stick."


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