Johnson excels on Billygoat Gruff

THE Punchestow stands were jammed with wide eyed punters during the £60,000 Heineken Gold Cup yesterday but it had little 10 do with innocence. The race changed pattern so often before Billygoat Gruff emerged the winner that blinking was an expensive luxury.

Only eight of the 20 starters managed to finish the contest and the tone was set early when the pace scorching River Lossie hit the third fence and shot Jim McCarthy out of the saddle. It was only a prelude.

Down the back straight five crashed at the one fence and at the third last Whale Of A Knight who was travelling strongly in the lead fell. At the next Executive Options, who was challenging for the lead, hit the deck and at the last the dour staying Dee El took a heavy fall.

With the well backed favourite, Sister Stephanie, never seen in the front rank, the one constant amid the carnage was the poise of Billygoat Gruff and his 18 year old pilot Richard Johnson. Foot perfect throughout Billygoat Gruff led after Whale Of A Knight's departure but had to dig deep in the straight as Dec El Lord Singapore and Most Belligerently of all the 16 to 1 shot Twin Rainbow tried to pass him.

Twin Rainbow actually joined Billygoat Gruff on the run in but Johnson cooly asked for one more effort and the English trained horse battled on to win by a length with Sister Stephanie interest at the finish in third.

Johnson, an amateur at the start of the season, has stepped in for many rides on David Nicholson trained horses in the absence of Adrian Maguire and as this was his 55th career winner he lost his claim.

"It's not bad for a young man to loose the claim in a £60,000 race but he is a very good young rider," Nicholson said afterwards. "The horse was always travelling well but he doesn't like being in front for too long and he idled," Nicholson added about a horse who changed hands for only £700 as a foal.

Frank Woods was bitterly disappointed with the fall of Whale Of A Knight and said "He was travelling very sweetly and it was an absolute disaster. He got in close to the fence and the fences here are very stiff, maybe a bit too stiff.

Champion jockey Charlie Swan shad a day to forget. The Cheltenham and Liverpool winner Urubande could only finish fourth behind Castlekelly leader in the Stanley Cooker Champion Novice Hurdle and in the Barrett Bloodstock Insurance Handicap Chase, Swan picked up a whip ban for the second successive day.

On Tuesday, Swan returned from a ban and promptly picked out another our day suspension. Yesterday he gave an inspired display to get Royal Mountbrowne within a neck of Love And Porter and was rewarded with another six days for using his whip "excessively Swan accepted he was excessive in his use of the whip but quite what the stewards wanted him to do is baffling. Royal Mountbrowne's chance looked to have gone at the third last when he made a bad mistake but Swan gathered him together and tough horse that he is Royal Mountbrowne kept finding more under pressure and only justified to win. Swan gave Royal Mountbrowne the chance of winning and was penalised.

The stewards were also busy after the Doncaster Bloodstock Champion Flat Race when three of the first five riders home in the race were also given bans for "excessive" use of the whip.

Paddy Mullins and his son, Tom, combined to win the race wit Noble Thyne who showed admirable resolution to hold off the favourite French Holly in the closing stages. However, a dim view was taken of some of the riding and Mullins and Frances Crowley, rider of the fourth Private Peace, were suspended lord three days, while the jockey on the fifth Graduated, John Hayes, received a two day ban.

That couldn't entirely spoil Paddy Mullins enjoyment of the result, particularly as he trained French Holly last year only for the horse to be sold on.

Urubande had every chance in the champion novice hurdle but even with Castlekellyleader throwing in some sketchy leaps at the last three obstacles, he faded in the straight as Gentle Buck and Wisley Wonder chased the winner home.

"The ground was a big factor" and he may be better going lefthanded. He was hanging a bit today," was Swan's verdict on Urubande who will stay hurdling next season. In contrast Castlekellyleader will go novice chasing.

"The Sun Alliance Chase will be the objective. He did it well today and is learning more about jumping," said Paddy Mullins.