Champ delight for Jonjo O’Neill Junior at Ascot

This was the jockey’s first Grade One winner and it came at the end of a difficult year that has seen him fracture his eye socket, left shoulder and, more recently, right collarbone and ligaments in a succession of falls.

And while his still fledgling career continues to be guided by his legendary father Jonjo O’Neill, now a top trainer, and his family, this win had even greater significance because it was for former champion trainer Nicky Henderson and owner JP McManus.

“It’s my first Grade One, I’ll remember this!” said a jubilant O’Neill who had earlier won his father’s Palmers Hill.

“As a young boy it’s what you want to do, ride a Grade One winner at Ascot. To do it for Nicky, JP and on a horse like Champ – it doesn’t get much better. The adrenaline is through the roof.

“Nicky said not to disappoint him, I was in front too but he’s won an RSA and has plenty of stamina. When Tom (O’Brien, on Thyme Hill) came to me he went again.

“He’s a great horse. He only really had one run last year and Nicky has done a tremendous job with him. I’ve had three bad injuries this year and it’s been slow to get going, but it only takes one horse to get you back. I’m very thankful to Nicky and JP for putting me on him.”

O’Neill junior has spoken about the importance of having a horse to take his career to the next level, but this was, nevertheless, a remarkable return to the smaller obstacles for Champ who was last seen being pulled up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and who has since undergone surgery for a kissing spine.

However he showed he retained all his ability when outpointing Thyme Hill and Paisley Park in the extended three-mile showpiece.

O’Neill junior was pulling double before the home turn with two flights left to jump and had to find extra in the closing stages as Thyme Hill put in a serious challenge.

It was a bittersweet success for Henderson as he had to withdraw ante-post favourite Buzz on the eve of the race as the horse suffered a serious injury.

The win alsor raises the possibility of Champ – named after record-breaking rider Sir AP McCoy who was present at Ascot – to be aimed at the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in preference to the Gold Cup.

Henderson said: “We have got to decide which way we will go. He can go either way (fences or hurdles). He is still a Gold Cup horse, but he is still capable of winning a Stayers’ Hurdle. So there is a big decision that we don’t have to make today.

“There is a lot to look forward to. It is lovely to see him back and getting horses back when they have problems is our job and when that comes to fruition, from the team’s point of view it is a terrific effort. Our team at home, to get him back – it was lovely to watch the horse enjoy himself like that. We can go either way with him now.

“He has to go left-handed over fences, (but) as you can see over hurdles he can go left or right.”

Meanwhile, Annsam’s win in the Howden Silver Cup provided the Evan Williams stable with a timely tonic after Grade One-winning hurdler Silver Streak – owned by Settle farmer Les Fell and his family – suffered a fatal injury on the gallops.

The talented Silver Streak, an eyecatching grey, was being prepped for the defence of his Christmas Hurdle title at Kempton on Boxing Day.

“Silver Streak was a very, very good friend to me and was a very good friend to Mrs Fell and an even bigger friend to all the boys and girls in the yard. I can’t begin to tell you how much he meant to us,” said Williams.

“The only way you can get on in this game is to keep looking forward. It doesn’t matter if it is today or racing as a whole.”

Silver Streak ran 29 times over hurdles, winning eight times. He was ridden in the majority of those by Adam Wedge who tweeted: “Thank you for some fantastic memories that I will never forget!”