Windsor Friday

Lightning Novices’ Chase (Grade 2)

GIDLEIGH Park (Harry Fry) was reportedly suffering from an irregular heartbeat when pulled up on his chase debut at Kempton in November but left that inauspicious start well behind when beating odds-on favourite Caldwell Potter (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) in the Grade 2 Lightning Novices’ Chase at Windsor on Friday.

Gidleigh Park and Caldwell Potter occupied the first two positions throughout, with the former making virtually all. He was almost joined in the straight but produced a big leap when needed at the last and stayed on the stronger to score by four lengths at 15/2. You Wear It Well was the big disappointment of the race, looking to lack jumping confidence and trailing home last of four. Paddy Power and Betfair introduced the winner at 20/1 for the Arkle Challenge Trophy at Cheltenham in March.

Fry said: “It has been a testing time, but we are here and back where we want to be and that is what it is all about. The overriding feeling is relief. I’m absolutely delighted to see him come out and jump, gallop and hit the line hard, which is what we know he can do, but after the last day we needed to see him doing it on the track.

“Winning is what the game is all about, but it was very much the icing on the cake today. It was nice to see him put in a good round of jumping and come home strongly. The dream is alive again.”

Lion roars again

The conditions hurdle on Windsor’s card attracted quite a strong field and was won narrowly by the Kerry Lee-trained Nemean Lion (Richard Patrick), who was produced late to get the better of a tussle with Salver (Gary & Josh Moore/Caoilin Quinn) to score by half a length with the pair clear. The runner-up had made much of the running and rallied well when headed after the last while the winner was following up an impressive handicap win at Hereford in December. Winner of the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton last season, Nemean Lion could bid for a repeat next month, although Kerry Lee is wary of going to the well once too often.

“He is a Kingwell Hurdle winner already and he has some good form in Grade 1s,” said Kerry Lee of the 85/40 winner. We will certainly look at the Kingwell with him, but I don’t want to be quite as hard on him as I was last season as I think I over-raced him last season and I don’t want to make the same mistake again.

“He enjoys himself so much at home, so he is a hard horse to gauge because he comes out and shows everything every day.

“We certainly hope there is more mileage in him. Will Roseff has been a very long and loyal supporter, so we are lucky to have him.”

Market Rasen Friday

THE Unibet-sponsored Veterans’ Final has had to be rearranged twice after both Sandown and Warwick were lost to the weather, but it proved third-time lucky for Copperhead (Joe Tizzard/Freddie Gingell) who capped a notable revival in fortunes when landing the valuable contest in a driving finish. Copperhead – sent off 7/2 joint-favourite with stablemate Eldorado Allen - led or disputed from the outset and Sam Brown (Anthony Honeyball/Chad Bament) was his nearest pursuer for the majority of the journey, producing a strong run from the final fence as the leader began to tire, but beaten one and a quarter lengths in his bid to win back-to-back runnings of the contest.

The Listed Alan Swinbank Mares’ National Hunt Flat Race has been won by some useful sorts in recent years, so it will be intriguing to see how well surprise winner Kingston Queen (David Pipe/Gearoid Harney) can do, with the 16/1 shot beating a host of previous winners to score at odds of 16/1.

A daughter of Kingston Hill, the five-year-old was beaten twice in bumpers before winning a small race at Sedgefield on Boxing Day, but she appeared to improve to get the better of the dual winner Charisma Cat (Alan King/Tom Cannon) by a neck.

Ffos Las Saturday

Towton Novices’ Chase (Grade 2)

THE Grade 2 Towton Novices’ Chase, transferred from Wetherby, attracted the sponsorship of Welsh bookmakers (not two words you like to see in close proximity when you’ve had winner) Dragonbet, and the race was won by evens favourite Handstands (Ben Pauling/Ben Jones) in emphatic fashion despite being one of only two finishers in the attritional contest.

Handstands already seemed in the ascendancy when Saint Davy fell into the path of Hillcrest at the third last, with that fence also seeing the jumping demise of Cherie d’Am, leaving Lord Of Thunder (Joe Tizzard/Brendan Powell) to chase the winner home at a respectable distance of nine lengths. The winner was introduced at - or promoted to - 20/1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in March, although he seems very likely to take in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles at Sandown before then.

Trainer Ben Pauling said: “I was delighted, and we were learning plenty as we have never run on that ground before. I think he was just learning to get out of the ground to be honest and making too much effort and ballooning a couple as a result.

“Ultimately, he has done it very well and Ben was delighted with how he jumped after he ballooned the ditch and it’s another step in the right direction. It looked a competitive enough field on paper, and I know there was some misfortune at the third-last, but I think they were all coming to the end of their tether.

“Ben said he finished the race as fresh as a daisy and doesn’t think he has had an overly-hard race which is quite extraordinary considering the ground there today. I’m just delighted and it’s another step on the road for a nice, progressive young novice chaser.”