Caoilin Quinn and Mondo Man withstood a dramatic last-flight scramble to take the Betfair Imperial Cup at Sandown, a victory that might point more to Royal Ascot options than a quick tilt at Cheltenham next week. A former high-class Flat performer—he was fifth in the 2024 French Derby and ran at Royal Ascot the same year—Mondo Man moved to hurdling with promise, running in the Adonis and Triumph Hurdle last season.
Trained by Gary and Josh Moore, the five-year-old arrived at Esher as the 5-2 favourite after a recent win at Plumpton and went to the front early, appearing set to control the race. He reached the last with a clear advantage, only for an untidy leap to almost unseat Quinn. The jockey booted him home without irons and Mondo Man held on from the fast-finishing Wreckless Eric, who again finished second for Jonjo and AJ O’Neill.
Gary Moore praised the performance, admitting he had reservations about running given the heavy ground. “It was an amazing performance and I didn’t really want to run because of the ground, the only reason he is running is because he has class,” he said. Moore added that it wasn’t his plan for the horse to make all the running, but credited Quinn for sticking to the tactic. He also noted the race took a lot out of the horse and that connections would assess him carefully before deciding on Cheltenham: there is a £100,000 bonus if the Imperial winner follows up at the Festival, and Paddy Power cut Mondo Man from 14s to 10-1 for the William Hill County Hurdle on Friday.
Moore said any Cheltenham trip would depend on how the horse recovers, pointing out that making all on heavy ground is demanding. He also flagged Flat options later in the year—Mondo Man was bought to race on the Flat before an injury curtailed those plans—and expressed interest in the two-mile race at Royal Ascot, noting the original plan had been Triumph Hurdle then Royal Ascot.
Quinn described the heart-stopping last: “I didn’t look round and was just kicking forward, so I didn’t know how far I was clear. It’s tough conditions and I didn’t want to go looking for a long one and do anything stupid so I just wanted to get in pop it and get out the other side. He went one way and I went the other! Luckily I stayed aboard him and he showed plenty of guts to keep galloping.”
The Moores and Quinn added a quick double when Ti’mamzel (8-1) won the British Stallion Studs EBF Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race, her second Listed victory of the season. Josh Moore confirmed the mare will head to Aintree’s Grand National Festival to contest Grade Two company, saying she had been professional and strong despite giving weight to rivals on heavy ground.