mccoy turned critical of Sandown’s ground on a disrupted final day of the National Hunt season, after quickening conditions forced a string of withdrawals on Saturday in Eastern Time terms as the card unfolded. The most notable absentee was Jonbon, while other high-profile runners also came out during the afternoon. The debate now centers on whether Sandown is the right setting for the end of the jumps season, with the going described as good, good to firm in places.
Quick Ground, Quick Withdrawals
Champion trainer Dan Skelton was first to pull one of his runners, taking Kabral Du Mathan out of the Select Hurdle when the surface was judged too quick. The situation worsened as the afternoon moved on, with several more withdrawals leaving the meeting looking thinner than planned. McCoy said the scale of the non-runners made for “not a good look” on a day intended to showcase Grade One jumping at the end of the season.
The most high-profile non-runner was Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon, who was due to bid for a third win in the bet365 Celebration Chase. JP McManus also saw Montregard, trained by Tom Lacey, removed from the feature bet365 Gold Cup, where he had been expected to go off favourite. The withdrawals cut across the card and sharpened the focus on the course conditions at Sandown.
McCoy’s Criticism Of Sandown
Speaking on ITV Racing, clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said the course team had spent the week trying to get the ground to good, but dry weather and rising temperatures had made that difficult. He said he agreed with the principle that the ground should never be faster than good for the meeting, while noting the course had faced five or six weeks of very dry weather and no rain in April.
McCoy remained firm in his view. He said that while the clerk of the course has a thankless task, the number of withdrawals at the end of the jumps season raised a basic question about presentation and practicality. “It is not a good look when people turn up to see these horses, ” he said, adding that Sandown may not be the right place for the season finale. He stressed that his point was about the wider meeting, not only Jonbon.
Jonbon Held Back For Safety
Nicky Henderson defended the decision not to run Jonbon, calling him “a hero to everyone” and saying the horse could be seen in the paddock instead. He said there was no point risking him on quick ground, adding that flat racing the previous day did not help matters. After Jingko Blue won the bet365 Select Hurdle, Henderson said he and Nico de Boinville had walked the track in the morning and found the surface getting quicker with each race.
Henderson said that pattern had been building for the last fortnight and left no realistic option but to stand Jonbon down. He added that Edwardstone winning the race was the best outcome from a difficult situation. For mccoy, though, the headline issue remained the same: too many withdrawals on a showcase day, and a finish to the jumps season that he believed did not look right.
What Happens Next
The immediate debate is likely to stay on the course conditions and the role Sandown should play in closing the National Hunt campaign. The comments from McCoy, Cooper and Henderson point to a broader tension between delivering a safe surface and preserving a major finale. For now, the story of mccoy at Sandown is less about one horse than about whether the meeting itself can continue to carry the weight of the season’s last big jumping stage.
