Duke Of Bedford delivered a near-perfect round of jumping to claim the Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool, covering the 5500m and 33 fences with precision and poise.
The performance saw him join Gold Medals (2018) as the only horse in recent history to complete the Warrnambool Carnival double, having already secured victory in Tuesday’s Brierly Steeplechase (3450m).
For taking out both features, Duke Of Bedford earned a $50,000 bonus, supplementing the $192,500 first-place prize money from Thursday’s win.
Starting as the $3.70 betting sites favourite and ridden by Arron Lynch, he led all the way to score by 12 lengths over Instigator ($5.50), with Bazini ($15) finishing third, another 10 lengths behind.
Trainer Andrew Bobbin, whose career journey includes stints as a Rugby League player and TV cameraman before becoming a racehorse trainer, admitted the Grand Annual win was more than he initially targeted.
“The Brierly was the goal, but I might have undersold his ability,” Bobbin told racing.com.
“Our record with jumpers is immaculate.
“Our property is built for stayers, but the only stayers we have are jumpers.
“The stayers I buy are no good, so when the time is right and we get the right staying horses, we know that we can keep them sound, keep them improving all the time and this horse is testament to the whole operation.”
Bobbin trains from a facility near Stawell that features deep sand, which he credits for helping keep horses fit and sound.
While William McCarthy partnered Duke Of Bedford for his Brierly win, Lynch had been locked in for Thursday’s ride and made the most of the opportunity.
Bobbin admitted he was nervous mid-race as Lynch pushed the tempo over the testing journey.
“I was watching him go around and I thought ‘Lynchy, what are you doing’,” Bobbin said.
“He kept finding and finding and I thought we’re going to stop soon, but coming down the hill the second time, he’s only got to get over the last few, and that’s what he was able to do.
“What a ride, a confident ride, and every jockey tells me, he might look like he’s doing too much, but he’s just cruising.”
Lynch has endured his share of disappointment in the Grand Annual over the years and admitted he feared another unlucky turn during the early stages of the race.
As the field descended the hill for the first time and prepared to veer left—a contrast from Tuesday’s right turn—Lynch momentarily struggled to guide his mount in the right direction.
“He was a bit suspect there and Tom Ryan (on Count Zero) came up and helped guide me around,” Lynch said.
“I’ve had a lot of back luck in the race. I’ve come off going over the double, I’ve had horses fall in front of me like last year.
“I’ve had horses take me on from a mile out and burn me up, so today, out in front, no bad luck, we got the job done.”
