Mondo Man and jockey Caoilin Quinn held on in a dramatic finish to claim the Betfair Imperial Cup at Sandown, a victory that now has connections thinking more about Royal Ascot than an immediate trip to Cheltenham. The five-year-old, once a high-class Flat performer who was fifth in the 2024 French Derby and ran at Royal Ascot that season, showed his class again after switching to hurdles last year and appearing in the Adonis and Triumph Hurdle.
Trained by Gary and Josh Moore, Mondo Man went to post as the 5-2 favourite off a recent Plumpton win. Quinn sent him to the front early and he looked to be in control, arriving at the last with a clear lead. An awkward leap there almost unseated Quinn, who booted the gelding home without irons; they just held off the late charge of Wreckless Eric, who finished a fast-closing second for Jonjo and AJ O’Neill.
Gary Moore admitted he had doubts about running on 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 also revealed that making all the running wasn’t the original plan, but praised Quinn for sticking to the tactic. He warned the race had taken a lot out of Mondo Man and that the team would monitor him carefully before committing to Cheltenham — there is a £100,000 bonus if the Imperial winner follows up at the Festival. Bookmakers reacted, with Paddy Power shortening Mondo Man from 14s to 10-1 for the William Hill County Hurdle on Friday.
Any decision on Cheltenham, Moore said, will depend on how the horse recovers: making all on heavy ground is particularly taxing. He reiterated that Mondo Man was bought with Flat targets in mind before an injury interrupted that plan and confirmed Flat options remain under consideration, including the original thinking of the Triumph Hurdle followed by a Royal Ascot two-mile assignment.
Quinn described the nerve-jangling finale: “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 completed a quick double when Ti’mamzel (8-1) won the British Stallion Studs EBF Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race — her second Listed win this season. Josh Moore confirmed the mare will head to Aintree’s Grand National Festival to step up into Grade Two company, praising her professionalism and strength on heavy ground despite giving weight to her rivals.