Sine Nomine seals famous Festival success for Needham

There was a winner for the north at the Cheltenham Festival as Fiona Needham’s Sine Nomine edged out 11-8 favourite Its On The Line in a thrilling finish to the St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase.

The market leader’s jockey Derek O’Connor was attempting to enter the record books by winning all three amateur rider events in the same week, but it was Catterick clerk of the course Needham who added herself to the race’s roll of honour for a second time.

Needham rode Last Option to victory in 2002 for her father Robin Tate and Sine Nomine, who cost just £2,400 as a three-year-old, sported the same Tate colours here.

The eye was drawn to Sine Nomine throughout the contest as the eight-year-old travelled with real zest in the hands of John Dawson but there was still plenty of work to do as David Christie’s long-time leader Ferns Lock gave way on the run to two out and eventual third Time Leader took things up.

Dawson elected to make his challenge up the inner where O’Connor was working away urging last year’s runner-up and having found himself short of room after the last, Dawson had to switch and regather his mount before launching one last assault up the Cheltenham hill.

It was a challenge timed to perfection as although Its On The Line soon had Time Leader covered, he had no answer to Sine Nomine’s late thrust as the gallant grey became the toast of Yorkshire at odds of 8-1.

Needham was delighted to secure top honours for her father and hailed Dawson’s effort in the saddle.

She said: “This is a dream come true and what a ride by John. I told him to try to save a bit for the final hill and boy did she pick up. She’s a star.

“I was screaming my head off and making it very embarrassing for myself, but it means so much to me and my father Robin. I thought if she was third she’d have run a very good race, and that was where I thought she was going to finish, but then she picked up.

“It’s a long way from Catterick to Cheltenham but the decision to train and then bring her here has paid off.

“You don’t get highs like this at Catterick!”

Sine Nomine finished second in a previous trip to Prestbury Park last May but was a first Festival contender for Needham.

She added: “Last Option won and the following year was third, and since then I’ve just had three or four runners at the hunter chase meeting, none at the Festival.”

Dawson said: “It’s just a dream. I just never thought for a moment we’d be mixing it here with these top jockeys – watching Derek O’Connor yesterday; top, top riders, and to have our name on that trophy is something.

“I’m getting on a bit now, riding, I’ve been round the block a bit, and I’ve been down here a few times on long, long shots, and you sort of know your fate before you come here, but with her, I genuinely didn’t know how good she was, and today she’s proved that.

“For Yorkshire and the northern point-to-point circuit to have someone like that flying that flag, and to prove that British point-to-points can produce top-level horses.

“Fiona is fantastic to ride for and there’s no pressure. She has the knowledge and experience, she understands what will go wrong and right, and they are fantastic supporters of point-to-pointing – year in, year out they will have five or six pointers, and have stuck at it.

“I’m just pleased to be on a really, really nice one.”