'If we have a future Gold Cup horse it's him' - Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm hail new star El Clavel

The meteoric rise of Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm has taken on a new dimension as the imposing El Clavel and James Reveley beat last year's winner Losange Bleu in an absorbing Grande Course de Haies.

The five-year-old was only making his sixth start but jumped like an old pro in behind Losange Bleu and race developed into a duel over the last half mile.

Reveley found himself the width of the track apart from Losange Bleu as Johnny Charron took the road less travelled up the inside rail, and his partner kept finding all the way to the line to score by a length and a quarter. 

At the age of 24, and in just the third full year of his training career, George has a first official Grade 1 win to his name in France, with father Tom's name having been on the licence when Il Est Francais landed the Prix Renaud du Vivier, before the same horse gave him and Zetterholm their first top-level win in the Kauto Star Chase at Kempton.

"We can never get him off the bridle in the mornings, you need three horses to work with him," said George, as he received hugs and embraces from a host of supporters in the middle of the Auteuil ring. "I told James to sit on the back of Losange Bleu and then we’ll find out how good our horse is. His jumping was good and James has ridden a beautiful race."

George told the Racing Post during the week that El Clavel's future could be in British novice chases next winter but, with the reality of victory in France's biggest hurdle race still setting in, he was in no hurry to commit to a definite plan. 

"His manager was a bit worried when I entered him in the Grade 1 because the plan had been to look after him over hurdles in the hope that he would turn out to be a crack chaser," said George. "He’s just a very good horse. James and I have always said that, if we have a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner around the place, it will be him. Still, winning a Grande Course de Haies is pretty good. He'll go on a nice holiday now and we'll have a think."

Tom George deserves plenty of credit for El Clavel's early development, as well as for hatching the plan with Noel to run their family business in two countries.

All smiles from connections after El Clavel's victory in the Grande Course de Haies at Auteuil

He said: "We bought him as a yearling and I had him at home for two or three years. We always thought the world of him and Noel’s done an unbelievable job with him.

"This morning I came into the office and said to him, ‘What are you watching?’. He said, ‘I’m trying to work out how we can beat the favourite’. Noel and Amanda have done a great job with him and the owners bought him from us, had confidence he was going to be a good horse, and have got paid for it. 

"It’s been unbelievable and occasionally dreams come true. It’s been our game plan and it’s come a lot quicker than we expected. They’ve kept their feet on the ground, they both need each other. I have a little bit of input, not much, and it’s a great team."

Reveley was winning the race for the second time, a decade on from scoring aboard Un Temps Pour Tout for David Pipe. 

James Reveley relives his victory aboard El Clavel in the Grande CourseCredit: Racing Post/Burton

"He never gets tired, he could have gone round again," said Reveley. "He got a bit lonely on his own but he was tough enough to win. He’s always been a good looking horse. For a five-year-old to do that is good because when he gets older and stronger, I think there’s more to come."

Harry Cobden and Monmiral attempted to pressure Losange Bleu for the first circuit and were still in third turning out of the straight, before staying late on to be a distant sixth. 

Trainer Paul Nicholls said: "He ran well. The ground was a bit quicker than we thought it might be. Harry said if he hadn't been so positive he might have been placed, but we were here to win and he just got run out of it late on. He just lacks that little bit at this level."

Hewick rarely looked like matching last year's heroic second, and was in danger of becoming detached going out for the second circuit, before running on for seventh under Gavin Sheehan.

"He's tipped his way around and picked up ten grand for seventh, which is lovely," said trainer Shark Hanlon. "Gavin said he just didn't feel the same horse as he did in the National, he knew jumping the second. He was flat out whereas in the National he was a different horse." 

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