Following its weather-enforced abandonment, Cheltenham Racecourse provided the stage for the traditional Ascot Showpiece of the Clarence House Chase. That rescheduling denied fans the chance to witness the heavyweight clash between Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon and the Willie Mullins-trained El Fabiolo, with the Irish trainer opting to skip the assignment with his Arkle Champion. All of which left Jonbon with an apparent penalty kick in his latest step towards the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Punters certainly agreed with that assessment, with the JP McManus-owned Grade 1 star sent off as the red-hot 1/4 favourite.
However, racing is nothing, if not unpredictable, and the 2024 edition of the Clarence House Chase declined to follow the script. Rather than toasting another flawless display from Jonbon, fans, journalists, and punters alike were left toasting a breakthrough success from one of the most promising young talents in the game.
Freddie Gingell won his first Grade 1 at 18 years old today
If you could bottle up the feeling and sell it you’d be a millionaire ✨#PremierRaceday pic.twitter.com/Fi9VTl5tNq
— Great British Racing (@GBRacing) January 27, 2024
Freddie Gingell Drives Jolly Backers Nutz
With 16 starts to his name and no wins at above Grade 2 level, Freddie Gingell’s partner in crime, Elixir De Nutz, looked to have it all to do coming up against the leading light in the British two-mile Chase division – particularly as his conditional rider was unable to claim his usual five pounds due to this being a Grade 1 affair. An SP of 22/1 seemed perfectly fair in the face of such a challenge.
However, you have to be in it to win it, and events began to tilt in Freddie’s favour when the front-running Editeur Du Gite made an error at the fifth fence, allowing Gingell to grab the bull by the horns and begin setting his own fractions at the head of affairs. Nevertheless, the gallant grey still looked like a sitting duck, with Jonbon seemingly travelling well in behind and close enough to strike. Then everything changed, as the James Bowen-ridden favourite made a near calamitous error four from home – doing remarkably well to stay on his feet.
Some day of action yesterday.
Roll on March pic.twitter.com/L2fV1lnRuH
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 28, 2024
It’s a testament to Jonbon’s ability that he was able to recover and get himself back into contention – even briefly hitting the front at the second last. That lead didn’t last long, as the ice-cool Gingell had kept a little something up his sleeve on the strong-staying Elixir De Nutz. An excellent leap at the last all but sealed the deal, with Elixir De Nutz fending off the battling Jonbon by a head to record a famous success.
Rapid Ascent to the Top
Having already claimed the Grade 2 Haldon Gold Cup aboard Solo and the London National with Truckers Lodge – both trained by Paul Nicholls, to whom Gingell is attached – the 18-year-old was no stranger to having his name up in lights at the end of a major Saturday contest. Nevertheless, this triumph will forever hold a special place in his heart as the first Grade 1 success of his career.
That’s a fine feat for one so young, coming on his 160th ride – over 800 rides fewer than it took the great AP McCoy to land his first Grade 1 victory. Gingell is, in fact, one of the youngest riders to taste Grade 1 glory in the modern era, having achieved that goal quicker than several illustrious names.
| Jockey | Age When Winning First Grade 1 |
|---|---|
| Jack Kennedy | 17 years 250 Days |
| Freddie Gingell | 18 years 37 Days |
| Ruby Walsh | 18 Years 278 Days |
| Barry Geraghty | 20 Years 73 Days |
| AP McCoy | 21 Years 330 Days |
| Davy Russell | 26 Years 230 Days |
Another former rider beaten out by Gingell is the ex-jockey and current trainer of Elixir De Nutz, Joe Tizzard, who picked up a first Grade 1 success aboard Flagship Uberalles in the Arkle Chase at 19 years of age. This fact wasn’t lost on Gingell, who stated, “I had absolutely no idea I was ahead of those, it’s mad. It’s amazing – I suppose being ahead of Joe’s the main thing though”.
Having registered eight Grade 1 wins during his riding career, Joe still holds the edge over Freddie, at least for now. The Dorset handler likely didn’t mind a little ribbing, as this win also represented his first Grade 1 victory as a trainer since taking over the licence from his Gold Cup-winning father, Colin.
A Family Affair
Already a headline-grabbing tale, Freddie’s exploits were lent particular poignancy due to his relationship with Joe Tizzard. Freddie is the son of Joe’s sister, Kim Gingell, who was an integral cog in the Tizzard training machine before tragically succumbing to cancer in May 2020 at the age of just 43.
Gone, but by no means forgotten, Kim was remembered by the jockey, “Mum was definitely up there looking down on me today. Crossing the line, I looked up to her, and she looked back, and I could tell she was up there doing something.” In the aftermath of the race, the trainer added, “Kim would be so proud, and that is what she put into Freddie to make him the man that he is.”
Next Stop, The Cheltenham Festival
Since bunking off school to pick up his first win aboard West Approach at Wincanton in 2020, young Freddie has embarked on a steady ascent up the ranks. With 12 wins to his name for the 2023/24 season, he has already bettered his 2022/23 tally, and few would bet against him adding further to that haul before ultimately moving into the professional sphere.
Goals and achievements will no doubt be ticked off his to-do list as he continues his journey, and a rather big one could be coming up in March 2024. Gingell has already achieved a lot in a short time but has yet to ride at the biggest meeting of all, having missed out on potential Cheltenham Festival rides in previous years due to injury. All being well, that looks set to change this season, with his standout prospective ride being none other than Elixir De Nutz, who is pencilled in to lock horns with Jonbon once more in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
