Racing: Chauvinist proves insultingly superior

A horse called Chauvinist made a pig of the handicapper here yesterday with a 15-length success in what is supposed to be one of the jump season's most competitive contests, the £100,000 Ladbroke Hurdle.

The seven-year-old's runaway victory continued his trainer Nick Henderson's hot streak, as the 10th winner to emerge from Seven Barrows in as many racing days. But on this occasion the stable jockey was out in the cold. Mick Fitzgerald opted for Valerio, leaving Norman Williamson to pick up the glory.

Chauvinist, a 15-2 shot, carried bottom-weight of 10 stone, a gross underestimation of his ability. But then he did not win his first hurdle race until late last month, and that a maiden, and was wholly unexposed. He was also perfectly at home in yesterday's bog-like conditions, and once Williamson had set him alight in pursuit of the five in front coming off the turn for home the race was effectively over. All those watching from the fogbound stands could see was the solo flight as one dark moving shape in the grey shroud detached itself from the others.

The placed horses – Idaho D'Ox, at 50-1 the least fancied of the Martin Pipe quartet, stayed on strongly to pip Benbyas (20-1) for second – were hardly visible as Chauvinist came past the post. The 4-1 favourite, Holy Orders, was a never-threatening ninth.

It was Williamson's third Ladbroke win, as he had scored on Master Tribe in 1997, when the race was still staged at Leopardstown, and on Marble Arch in the inaugural running here last year. "Once I pulled him round the others towards the rails he took off," he said. "We had gone a hell of a gallop in the conditions the whole way and, although mine finished well, most of the others were legless."

Chauvinist is now Cheltenham-bound, with the Supreme Novices' Hurdle his target. The emergence of his talent, however, was only a partial consolation on the day for the Henderson team, whose good servant Get Real died after breaking a hind leg at the penultimate obstacle in the two-mile handicap chase.

That race, and the three-miler, were a tribute to the tribulations, mental and physical, faced by trainers with their charges. The former went to Young Devereaux, a horse with legs of glass, and the latter to Behrajan, one with a mind of wood.

Young Devereaux's chasing career has spanned three years but comprised just five races, of which he has won three, including yesterday's length defeat of Seebald. The Paul Nicholls-trained nine-year-old, whose previous appearance had been to chase home Cyfor Malta at Newbury more than a year ago, pecked badly at the last but rallied willingly under Ruby Walsh to take advantage of a 25lb weight concession from his rival. "He was a bit clumsy today but he has actually had very little experience, and the only time he has jumped a proper fence since Newbury was when he schooled over one yesterday," said Nicholls.

"His legs are so delicate we cannot do too much at home, but he practises over poles in the sand school." If he stays sound, Young Devereaux will return here next month for the Victor Chandler Chase.

Behrajan finished second in last year's Hennessy, but is beginning to acquire his own ideas about the game, and it took all of Richard Johnson's strength and tact to drive him home a neck ahead of Exit To Wave under top-weight. "He's getting a bit leery," said trainer Henry Daly, "and blinkers are not if, but when."

Tony McCoy brought his seasonal total to 199 on Tarxien in the Grade Two novice chase, but was denied the chance for his double century when the deteriorating visibility brought a premature end to proceedings. His mount for the abandoned finale was favourite.