EIGHT hunter chases were held in Britain during the period under review including the St James’s Place Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham which was won by Hazel Hill for the reigning champion point-to-point trainer and rider, Phil Rowley and Alex Edwards, both of whom were scoring for the first time at the festival.

Diana Williams’ 11-year-old Milan gelding was winning for the fourth time on the track in as many runs having visited the winner’s enclosure on 11 occasions from 16 outings between the flags.

Hazel Hill won his maiden at Chaddesley Corbett in February 2015 under the owner’s daughter Jane, who also trained him at the time and partnered the bay to four more successive victories before he changed yards.

Out of the Presenting mare Resenting, Hazel Hill was bred by Paddy Moakley for whom he was placed twice in four runs here in early 2014 before being sold.

CHASE WINNERS

Also on March 15th, the eight-year-old Yeats gelding Sir Jack Yeats justified 5/4 favouritism over three miles at Fakenham, while four of the other hunter chase winners in the period under review were also Irish-bred.

Of these, two were partnered by Irish riders, Road To Riches (David Maxwell) at Carlisle on St Patrick’s Day and In Arrears (Bryan Carver) at Exeter the following afternoon.

Still in the care of Nigel Twiston-Davies, the now 13-year-old Double Ross won at Chepstow last Thursday week, while the former Gordon Elliott-trained Optimised justified favouritism for the Rowley/Edwards team at Bangor last Saturday.