Go Go Go!
Sat 26 Mar 2022
WINNER 24 OF 2022: GO CHIQUE, trained by Nicky Henderson OBE and ridden by Nico de Boinville: 'The Central Roofing Mares' Handicap Hurdle ' over 3m 1.5f at Hereford.
We saw Go Chique at our recent owners stable visit to Seven Barrows and she was raring to go, but we just had to wait for the right ground conditions for her to be seen at her best. Yesterday, at Hereford the going was 'Good' and she lined up as second favourite behind Flying Nun, who was hoping to bring up a hat-trick.
Nico set her off at the head of the field, with her large ears pricked, she jumped the first hurdle in the lead. Her jumping was smooth all the way around and Nico asked her to quicken 2 from home. Joined by the favourite, they jumped the last almost neck and neck and she continued to be pressed on the run in, but in typical Go Chique style, she battled and stayed on well, always doing enough, to win by 1/2 a length.
"Go Chique makes all to foil Flying Nun." Watch the full race replay here: https://www.attheraces.com/racecard/Hereford/25-March-2022/1445
Timeform rated it as a career best performance of 115, saying: "Presumably hadn't handled the mud here last time and resumed progress/winning ways 11 weeks on, given a well-judged, front-running ride with a fully-fledged jockey up for the first time this season; dictated, travelled well, pushed along before last, threatened briefly, always holding on; these seem to be her conditions so perhaps a spring/summer campaign beckons.”
Syndicate manager Tom says: "Well done to her owners on another victory with this super tough mare, in what was a valuable race for it’s kind picking up just over £9,000 for winning the race. It was a good ride by Nico, he did a fantastic job of keeping those in behind honest but just conserving enough for him to kick and put the race to bed. Her jumping was very good yesterday, maybe her worst jump came at the last where she half opened to the door for the favourite to have one final crack at her, but such is her attitude that she soon rallied and was always doing enough at the line. She’s as honest as the day is long and will really knuckle down and scrap when you need her to, a most admirable trait. Three miles plus on good ground really is her playing at home."