Meetmebythesea powers to Festival glory

Meetmebythesea provided Ben Pauling and Ben Jones with the perfect Cheltenham Gold Cup appetiser when storming to victory in the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.

The King George-winning trainer and jockey will go for gold with The Jukebox Man on Friday, but Meetmebythesea had long been talked of as one of their leading chances of the Festival and delivered in style at odds of 9-1.

As has been the theme of the week, Jones had the six-year-old up with the pace throughout and having entered the home straight locked in battle with runner-up Gold Dancer, a tremendous jump at the last enabled Meetmebythesea to surge four and three-quarter lengths clear.

Pauling said: “He was very good. He was quick and nimble when he needed to be and he was bold when he needed to be.

“I don’t think I wanted him to be that far forward, but he was enjoying himself and I’m delighted for JP (McManus, owner), who is a huge supporter of the industry. I’ve been training for 13 years and to have the support of someone like that helps a lot.

“This was one of the darts we hoped would run really well this week and it’s nice to see it come off.”

Looking ahead to the the big one on Friday, the trainer added: “I’m pleased we’ve had a winner before that! It was always going to be a nervous week if we were going into Friday without a winner.

“This doesn’t change anything, but it changes the mood and the feel, which is important for everyone.

“Hopefully now we can go and do the business tomorrow.”

Tom Bellamy tasted success at the Festival for the first time as White Noise regained the winning thread in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.

A three-time winner earlier in the season, she was then defeated in Grade Two company at Warwick last month, but roared back to form with a brilliant performance from the front end as a 40-1 chance.

The winner is trained by Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls, who said: “You’re going to have to give me a minute, I’m a bit excitable!

“Tom was absolutely brilliant on her at the start. It’s a shame the starts this week have been a bit of a shambles, but Tom Bellamy at the start there was an absolute genius – he has somehow managed to get to the front and I still don’t really know how he did it.

“I thought she’d run well – I thought she might get in the first six, I can’t say I thought she’d win.”

Dan and Harry Skelton landed their second handicap of the week as Supremely West justified favouritism to oblige at odds of 100-30 in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle.

Dan Skelton said: “Once he qualified for this in October (finished third in a qualifier) this was the obvious thing to do, but then I thought ‘did he not stay’, so I gave him another couple of runs and then ran him over two-and-a-half at Aintree and that was a disaster.

“We said we’d gamble and go for it. I said to Jimmy (Fyffe, owner) that it might happen if you’re really patient and it’s worked out.

“I’m very proud of the horse. Sometimes when the light shines on you you can crack under the heat, but he didn’t.”