Duke Of Bedford blows rivals away to claim Grand Annual Steeplechase

Two days after a tough win in the Brierly Steeplechase, Duke Of Bedford was in a different class as he ran his rivals ragged to win the Grand Annual Steeplechase.

Duke Of Bedford jumps cleanly on his way to winning the Grand Annual Steeplechase on Thursday. Picture: Pat Scala/Racing Photos via Getty Images

Fatigue was the only hope for Duke Of Bedford’s rivals a long way from the finish of Thursday’s gruelling $350,000 Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool.

The 5500m epic is one of Australia’s toughest races but Duke Of Bedford made the race look like an afternoon pleasure for jockey Arron Lynch with his almost flawless jumping.

While Lynch opened up a massive mid-race gap on rivals, trainer Andrew Bobbin was wondering whether the jockey had allowed Duke Of Bedford to go too quickly.

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“I was just watching him go around and I thought, ‘Jesus, Lynchy, what are you doing?’,” Bobbin said.

However, Duke Of Bedford ($3.70 fav) showed no signs of fatigue in the straight, ploughing through the worn track to score by 12 lengths over honest locals Instigator ($5.50) and Bazini ($15).

“He just kept finding and finding,” Bobbin said.

“I thought, ‘we’re going to stop here soon’ but when he came down the hill the second time, I knew he just had to get over them and that’s all he needed to do.

“Every jockey tells me that he might look like he’s doing too much but he’s just cruising.”

Duke of Bedford annihilates his opposition with an emphatic victory in the Grand Annual Steeplechase 🙌@grampiansracingpic.twitter.com/tyySerJ9jB

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Duke Of Bedford produced his amazing performance 48 hours after a fighting win in Tuesday’s Brierly Steeplechase, netting connections a $50,000 bonus from TAB.

Lynch spent plenty of time alone during the Grand Annual Steeplechase as Duke Of Bedford rolled along as he pleased with a lead of up to 20 lengths at various stages of the race.

He said he could clearly hear the race call letting him know how far ahead he was but Lynch had no doubt Duke Of Bedford would maintain his gallop to the end of the marathon event.

“When you’re that far in front you can hear the call, it’s peaceful and you can hear everything,” Lynch said.

Duke Of Bedford gave trainer Andrew Bobbin another big jumps win in the Grand Annual. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

“You’re just concentrating on your jumps and getting the horse over safely.

“He’s just got that rolling tempo and holds that gallop, which just breaks them down.

“He jumped brilliant and never really made a mistake at all.

“I just had a lap full of horse when we came down on to the flat track again there. He just held that good gallop all the way.

“I just knew no other horse was going to beat me.”

William McCarthy rode Duke Of Bedford to his Brierly Steeplechase win but his previous commitment to the Symon Wilde-trained Bazini left Lynch free to ride Duke Of Bedford.

McCarthy graciously said he was thrilled for Bobbin and Duke Of Bedford’s connections.

Originally published as Duke Of Bedford blows rivals away to claim Grand Annual Steeplechase