Cha Cha made to fight for Sandown success

Hollygrove Cha Cha had to dig deep to win the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Jane Seymour Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown.

Jamie Snowden’s five-year-old has been making good progress this term, building on her bumper promise to claim successive wide-margin hurdles victories at the end of last year.

She stepped up in grade and down in trip to contest the the Listed Byerley Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Taunton last time out, when second behind Paul Nicholls’ Jubilee Alpha.

She returned to two and a half miles at Sandown for the Grade Two Jane Seymour, a race her yard has successfully targeted before when winning it in both 2021 and 2023 with Anythingforlove and You Wear It Well respectively.

Under Gavin Sheehan Hollygrove Cha Cha was a 2-1 chance, and made all the running to turn for home with a sizeable lead and all four rivals behind her.

Fergal O’Brien’s That’ll Do Moss was unwilling to go down without a fight, however, but although she rallied to the line she could could not outrun Hollygrove Cha Cha who prevailed by a short head.

Hollygrove Cha Cha has been cut from 25-1 to 20-1 with Paddy Power for the two-mile-one Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, registered as the Dawn Run, and Sam Hoskins from ownership group Hot To Trot is tempted by the prospect.

“We’re over the moon with that today, she was very game and jumped well on the whole. She just got a bit lonely late on,” he said.

“She looked like she had the race in the bag from a long way out but it was obviously a proper stamina test today.

“We want to enjoy today but there’s another Grade Two race next month to look forward to, I’d say we’d have to head there (the Dawn Run).

“It’s our dream to have a runner at that meeting and we’ve never had one, she wouldn’t be there to make up the numbers either.

“On better ground she will probably jump better and we’ve got nothing to lose, she’s not short of toe and although she wasn’t quite quick enough for Taunton, Cheltenham over two miles is a lot stiffer.

“The Dawn Run is the obvious race to go for, I think she’d be doing her best work up that hill, she loves it and she’s got a great attitude. She’s a darling and Jamie’s doing a great job.”