Losing your whip in the closing stages of a race is a bit of a nightmare and Sam Waley-Cohen avoided that fate with spectacular skill at Punchestown yesterday.
The showpiece race yesterday at the Punchestown Festival was the Gold Cup. With Sir Des Champs, second in the Cheltenham version this year, and Long Run, third this year and the Cheltenham winner in 2011, going head to head it promised to be a titanic battle.
So it proved as the Cheltenham placings from last month were confirmed with the Michael O’Leary owned Sir Des Champs taking the honours, with the English raider Long Run taking second.
Aboard the runner-up was English amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen and the dentist pulled off an amazing piece of horse-riding skill in the closing stages.
After they cleared the second last the stick slips from Waley-Cohen’s hand and he incredibly manages to catch it behind his back and keep riding.
In the end he didn’t win the race but for sheer dexterity, reflexes and composure, Sam deserves the serious praise he gets from Ted Walsh in this clip.
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