Gold Tweet wins big for France in Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham
Johnny Charron after winning the Dahlbury Stallions At Chapel Stud Cleeve Hurdle on Gold Tweet
There was a win for France at Cheltenham when Gold Tweet ran out a convincing victor in the Dahlbury Stallions At Chapel Stud Cleeve Hurdle.
Searching for his fourth win in the key Stayers' Hurdle trial, the eye was drawn to the smooth-travelling 13-8 favourite Paisley Park as the pace began to quicken coming down the hill for a second time.
But with Aidan Coleman soon pushing away without response aboard Emma Lavelle's stable star, it was left to Gabriel Leenders' French raider to cruise into contention and he overtook long-time leader Dashel Drasher shortly after the last before registering a cosy three-length success.
Although sent off at 14/1 there was no fluke about the victory and Gold Tweet was introduced into the Stayers' Hurdle market at 8/1 by race sponsors Paddy Power - although connections will need to decide whether to supplement the six-year-old for a return to Prestbury Park in the spring.
Leenders said: "It is a dream. I was a lad for David Pipe and Nicky Henderson and a long time ago I said I would come for a run here with a horse and today we are here and we win - it is a dream.
"In France I have won a Group One, but this is the first time I have a runner in England.
"He travelled well and ran a brilliant race. In my head this horse was the first one that I thought had the right profile to run well here. The way he was acting and running in France, we always thought he had the profile to run here.
"He has not been entered in the Stayers' Hurdle, so we don't have any plans. We don't know."
