 | PRIZE MONEY FOR SEASON 04/05 M PIPE (above): �2,827,073 P NICHOLLS: �2,756,204 |
Martin Pipe clinched his 15th trainers' championship as Well Chief trounced favourite Azertyuiop in the Celebration Chase at Sandown on Saturday. The chestnut drifted in the market and went off a 9/4 chance, but travelled the best to scoop the �58,000 prize.
Azertyuiop - trained by Pipe's closest title rival Paul Nicholls - was backed into 11/10 but was beaten four lengths.
The result left Nicholls needing a win in the feature race - the Betfred Gold Cup - to erase Pipe's �80,000 lead.
But his best hope Whitenzo could only manage fourth place as Ted Walsh's Irish raider Jack High defeated Juveigneur by just over a length.
A delighted Pipe said: "It (the title) means so much to everybody, to all the stable staff, and they deserve the credit because they do all the hard work."
Pipe, who also trains the Celebration Chase third Contraband, praised the manner of Well Chief's win: "He is super, just a fantastic horse.
 Well Chief clears the last fence en route to Celebration Chase glory |
"Timmy Murphy gave him a peach of a ride, he really did. Azertyuiop is a very good horse too, but I am delighted with Well Chief.
"He jumped well, Timmy produced him at a perfect time and he won well, so I am delighted."
Second to Irish superstar Moscow Flyer in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at last month's Cheltenham Festival, Well Chief capped a great season which also saw him annex the Victor Chandler Chase under topweight.
Given a typically patient ride by Murphy, Well Chief was last in the early stages but tracked Ruby Walsh on Azertyuiop and took over as that rival made a slight blunder at the second-last fence.
Pipe, who will be 60 next month, began training in 1975 and has dominated the sport for the past 20 years.
Former professional jump jockey Nicholls, now 43, took out his training licence in 1991 and has gradually built up his stables - which like Pipe's are in Somerset - to challenge for the title.
Unlike the trainers' title, the jockeys' championship is decided by number of winners rather than prize money accrued and Tony McCoy had already guaranteed his 10th consecutive title.
He reached his sixth double-century of winners at Sandown when Yes Sir took the opening contest - the Betfred Handicap Hurdle - for trainer Peter Bowen.
That put him about 50 clear of his nearest rival, Timmy Murphy, who succeeded him as Pipe's first-choice jockey.
MMIX
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