Kalugese caused a bit of a surprise when he won the Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Novice Chase at Cheltenham.
With all eyes on Willie Mullins stablemates Kopec Des Bordes and Nicky Henderson’s Lulamba, Karges, who shot 7-1, was given a perfect first ride by Danny Mullins.
The filly was clearly still on track for home and while both market leaders, especially Kopec des Bordes, tried to challenge her, she held firm on the slopes and left a bit to be desired at the end with a jump between second and third place Rulamba, going on to win by two and a quarter lengths from fellow Mullins.
Mullins said: “Karges jumped brilliantly and was much more experienced than Kopec, who faced her at the finish.
“It’s a great feeling to see two of my own fight to the end and I think of Annie Power, but I’m sure two of them won’t go down in the end and at least one of them will exceed expectations.
“We all need a Cheltenham winner. It’s great for Danny and it’s great to have done so well this week. I think Danny gave her a great run and he used all the attributes she has. When she wanted to jump at the end, he made it happen.”
“I was happy to see Lulamba lined up with Kalugese, but my worry was that Kopek would get ahead of Kalugese and they would run out of powder on each other.
Kopec des Bordes’ mistake cost him his life as he stumbled while landing on the final fence in Arkle.
“She’s tough and puts tough races on herself, whether it’s over hurdles as a junior or anything beyond that. We couldn’t believe how well she finished the season as a junior. She’s a really tough nut.”
“She looks like a champion chase horse, but we have to decide.”
There was sad news after the race as Cheltenham officials confirmed Gary and Josh Moore’s horse Hansard had suffered a fatal injury.
