Dartmoor Pirate plunders Great Yorkshire prize

Dartmoor Pirate showed stamina is his forte when staying on best of all to win the £100,000 Virgin Bet Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster.

While a smaller field than usual gathered for the historic contest, Rex Dingle’s mount had to be game in testing conditions having looked beaten turning for home.

The seven-year-old was very much unexposed on just his fourth run over fences for Anthony Honeyball, although he was 7lb higher than for winning a weaker race last time out.

Joyeux Machin had them all on the stretch with half a mile to run but fell at the cross fence and at that time Charlie Longsdon’s New Order and Faye Bramley’s Walking On Air looked to be going best.

Dartmoor Pirate (7-1) seemed set to drop away but by the third-last had got himself back into contention and despite idling on hitting the front, Dingle kept him up to his work to beat New Order by the best part of four lengths.

“I was flat out the whole way, we went a good strong clip for the first mile and a half,” said Dingle.

“I couldn’t have gone with them even if I’d wanted to, but when they slowed up and he passed a few he started to warm to it.

“He’s relatively unexposed, especially over fences. He missed the odd one here and there but he jumped well when I needed him to.

“I ended up in front with the luxury of having a bit of time on my hands and he didn’t do a tap in front.

“Anthony’s done a brilliant job with him, he bought him as a store and I don’t think he’s been easy to train but he’s been patient and to win a big one is great.”

He added: “It’s the big ones that matter, you can ride as many winners as you want but the big ones matter.”