Waiting Patiently has delivered a poignant success for trainer Ruth Jefferson in the Ascot Chase, just 24 hours after the funeral of her father Malcolm.
Jefferson, who took over the training licence on the death of her father two weeks ago, retained her composure after Waiting Patiently (2-1 fav) denied dual winner Cue Card by 2-3/4 lengths, giving jockey Brian Hughes a first Grade One triumph.
But Jefferson has not committed Waiting Patiently to a start in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham festival despite his perfect record over fences.
“We said we’d see after he ran today. This could be his Cheltenham, because we don’t know what ground we are going to get,” Jefferson said.
“Even if we get soft ground, we might just stop and think about it. We don’t need to rush him and he’s not a horse that needs a lot of racing
“Dad would have loved to have been here, to see this horse remain unbeaten.
“He would have loved it and he would have been thrilled. He had a lot of belief in the horse and rated him very highly. No one would have been shouting louder as he crossed the line.”