Bryony Frost on Saturday became the first female jockey to win the King George VI Chase after riding a sublime tactical race on Frodon to give trainer Paul Nicholls a 12th success in the race.
The 25-year-old led from start to finish on the 20/1 outsider with whom she also enjoyed a landmark Grade One success at the Cheltenham Festival last year.
“I have just won the King George,” a tearful Frost said. “I had absolutely the best time on him [Frodon]. He has just smashed everyone’s expectations. I don’t argue with him too much as he is his own personality.”
Photo: AP
“I cannot stress how much this horse means to me — he is my life. You dream as a little girl to ride a horse like this,” she said.
Success in the race — worth ￡113,000 (US$151,205) to the winner and considered second only to the Cheltenham Gold Cup in terms of prestige — also makes Frost the most successful female jockey over jumps.
“I talked to my brother in the United States last night and I said I was one away from being the woman jockey with the most winners over jumps,” Frost said. “He said: ‘How cool would it be to do it in the King George?’”
Photo: AP
Frodon was the least fancied of Nicholls’ four runners with Clan des Obeaux, bidding for a third successive win in the race, finishing third.
Cyrname, who vied for favoritism in the group, ran a dreadful race and was pulled up in the finishing straight, as was another Nicholls runner, Real Steel.
The aptly named Waiting Patiently came like a train under champion jockey Brian Hughes after the last of the 18 fences, but Frost and Frodon managed to hold on, winning by two-and-one-fourth lengths.
Nicholls watched the race from the Royal Box — empty of its usual occupants, who like the rest of the usual 20,000 crowd at Kempton Park had to stay away due to the COVID-19 pandemic — and pumped his fist in celebration.
He had commented ahead of the race that he did not see Frodon as a contender, but conceded after his unexpected victory that the horse was a quirky character.
“I wasn’t expecting that, although he’s a very good horse on his day and loves it round here,” Nicholls told broadcaster ITV.
“I said to Bryony: ‘Go as quick as you can and just keep galloping, you know he’s tough and brave,’” he said.
The 58-year-old Englishman said Clan des Obeaux had run “flat.” As for Cyrname, Nicholls believed the horse had gone into a sulk when he did not get his way.
“Cyrname seemed to spit the dummy out when he got dropped in behind and probably likes to dominate, but this horse [Frodon] keeps going a gallop and never knows when he’s beat,” he said.
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
The horn sounded on Wednesday night to signal a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Florida Panthers celebrated merely by hopping over the boards and several heading over to congratulate goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a subdued celebration seemingly more befitting a regular-season win for the reigning Cup champs. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said, adding: “It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.” The Panthers closed out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, with a 5-3 victory in
STRONG CONNECTION: Although she has considered switching nationalities, Garland said that if it was not for Taiwan’s support throughout her career, she would not be in Paris British-Taiwanese player Joanna Garland on Tuesday became the first Taiwanese to clinch a victory in a main singles draw of the French Open since 2020 after she outlasted the US’ Katie Volynets in Paris. The world No. 175, Taiwan’s highest-ranked female player in singles, said she would rely on her self-belief as she prepares for her second-round match at the French Open after overcoming a serious injury to qualify for a maiden Grand Slam appearance. After navigating her way through the qualifiers last week, Garland secured her first win at the main draw of a Grand Slam by battling past world No.
RSS