Olly Murphy landed the valuable Imperial Cup at Sandown on Saturday courtesy of Go Dante’s last-gasp success.
A winner of the two-mile one-furlong handicap hurdle at Cheltenham in December, the Olly Murphy-trained eight-year-old earmarked himself as one who would have a valuable prize in his locker when third behind the supplemented Champion Hurdle bound Iberico Lord in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury last month.
Chasing his first champion jockey title, Sean Bowen rode a race full of confidence on the well-backed 6/1 chance, biding his time before making stealthy headway behind Faivoir approaching the second last. Faivoir still held a length advantage over the final flight, but all the while Go Dante continued to close and under an all-action Bowen drive, Olly Murphy's charge fought on to join the longtime leader under the shadows of the post.
Connections were made the suffer for a short moment as the judge pondered the photo, but celebrations could soon begin after Go Dante was determined the pass the post a nose in front of Dan Skelton's rival.
Jipcot (15/2) stayed on well to finish third for the in-form Ben Pauling team with Making Headway (8/1) back in fourth.
Murphy said: "Horse and jockey were both very good there and my best friend (jockey) Harry Skelton has finished second, so it's a good job I didn't get a lift down with him.
"It was a great horse race and Faivoir is a tough horse and has won a County Hurdle.
"Go Dante has progressed well, and we always thought he was going to be really good and he's come here today off a mark still in the 120s. I'm not saying I would have been disappointed if he didn't win, but I thought he was better than his mark just yet to prove it.
"He's won a good pot today and these are the races you want to win aren't they."
Although Go Dante holds entries in both the County Hurdle and Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham Festival, Murphy suggested he will not head to Prestbury Park, with a chasing campaign next term in mind.
He added: "The first thing I said to Barbara (Hester, owner) is we won't be running next week and the only reason I left him in was in case he bolted up.
"He's a horse who has not underachieved, but he's had a lot of problems and it's a big well done to my team at home. He's been a tough horse to train, and he broke his pelvis in a nasty schooling incident. He's been through the mill this lad.
"I think he will improve for a fence (next year) and I imagine he'll have one more run over hurdles this year. Where that will be I don't know, but I would imagine we might have a look at something at Aintree or Punchestown, or maybe the Scottish Champion Hurdle – something like that if it is soft.
"He's had a very good year and hopefully he will be a very nice chaser next year."
