Image © Healy Racing
Derek O’Connor maintained a 100% record in the amateur rider races at this year’s Cheltenham Festival as he delivered Inothewayurthinkin to come from off the pace and claim the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase.
Derek O’Connor maintained a 100% record in the amateur rider races at this year’s Cheltenham Festival as he delivered Inothewayurthinkin to come from off the pace and claim the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase.
Having also sported the JP McManus silks when guiding Corbetts Cross to an emphatic 17-length victory in Tuesday’s National Hunt Chase, the 13-time point-to-point champion this time teamed-up with Meath trainer Gavin Cromwell for what was a warm favourite for the 3m2f contest.
After jumping to his right in the early stages, O’Connor was content to bide his time in the deteriorating conditions, and those tactics were well rewarded as once striking the front at the penultimate fence, he came home to best effect to beat pointing export Git Maker by a comfortable eight lengths.
Interestingly, just last month, O’Connor had produced and ridden a half-brother of Inothewayurthinkin, Thatsdwayimthinkin to make a winning debut in a four-year-old maiden at Oldtown in the same silks of McManus.
Of his sixth Cheltenham Festival success, O’Connor said: “If you watch the whole race, we had the most beautiful position and then as we ran down to the first fence on the inside, I think he got stage fright and landed in the middle of the track. I said to Gavin that I went through plans B, C, D and E as it all just fell asunder.
“It took us five or six fences to get his confidence back and then he raced brilliantly after that. I was at the top of the hill at the furthest part of the track before I could feel him getting his confidence back, but they’d gone a ferocious gallop, which really suited him, and I love riding races like that. I love picking off horses on one with a bit of class, and he’s very classy.”
%uD83D%uDFE2%uD83D%uDFE1 @DerekOConnor82 has ice in his veins %uD83E%uDD76
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 14, 2024
Glorious ride, glorious performance. Inothewayurthinkin absolutely hoses up in the Kim Muir for Gavin Cromwell & JP McManus pic.twitter.com/ai5EUtWulm
