Rebecca Curtis breaks three-month dry spell with 509-1 double as 100-1 runner-up loses race in stewards’ review

Mad Mike, trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, finished ahead of the Rebecca Curtis-trained House Of Stories by a nose but was also found to have bumped his rival at the final hurdle. As a result, Mad Mike was demoted, giving Curtis her first win since October.

Curtis expressed her delight at the victory, noting that her stable had been experiencing many second-place finishes lately. She initially had doubts about the outcome while watching the race live, but after seeing the replay, she changed her mind. She pointed out that Mad Mike was badly interfered with and might have kept the win if he had been beaten by a smaller margin, but he was only defeated by a nose.

Curtis also praised Mad Mike as a promising horse, predicting that he would excel as a chaser and favor longer distances, especially on testing ground. She emphasized his potential as a stayer and his affinity for challenging conditions.