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Wise head selects 20/1 winner

Followers of Ben Linfoot's tipping column were handed an early Christmas present when Wiseguy (11/1) overcame a final fence error to win the Coral Sir Peter O'Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase.

Wiseguy, advised at 20/1, moved into contention appearing to travel strongly in a race where several of the fancied runners failed to run up to their best. The front-running Le Milos was still in there pitching along with Imperil and 5/2 favourite Denmat but the French challenger Imperil was the only one who could go with the eventual winner.

Imperil was given another bite of the cherry when Wiseguy blundered but the winner, who didn't look entirely straightforward, had too much in the tank and was able to regroup, keeping on well to win by a length and three quarters.

Denmat claimed third, seven lengths adrift, with a further 17 lengths back to Le Milos in fourth.

"He's good fresh," said jockey James Bowen of the Nicky Henderson trained winner.

"His jumping was good apart from a couple. He was a bit lairy down to the last, I was looking everywhere and if I sent him he'd only have put down and might have even been on the deck; I thought I had plenty left so there was no point in me just forcing him down to it."

Henderson said: “He won his first chase at Exeter last season, but then at the end of the season his jumping went to pieces.

“I put him back over hurdles and he couldn’t even jump them. He had back issues and all sorts of things. This was an ambitious place to come to.

“He has been to Exeter twice this season, but once it was too firm so we took him and then last week it was too soft and they didn’t race there.

“He is not one that we will run too quickly again as it probably frightened him a bit last season.

“Three miles is perfect for him and the better the ground the better he is.”

1.01 Moon downed by Impose Toi

Bowen earned his riding fee and win percentage when helping Impose Toi (4/1) to get the better of the gambled on Guard The Moon in the Coral 'Daily Rewards Shaker' Handicap Hurdle.

The runner-up was backed into 5/2 favourite and hit 1.01 on the Betfair Exchange but Bowen refused to accept defeat and produced a rousing ride on Impose Toi who, in fairness, responded to the urgings from above, sticking to his task to win by an unlikely looking a length and a quarter.

The front two had pulled six and a half lengths clear of the pacesetting Inthewaterside who, in turn, was 15 lengths clear of Anyharminasking.

Impose Toi was having his first start since finishing third in the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton in January and completed a double for both Bowen and Henderson.

Indy delivers for Value Bet

A strong looking renewal of the Coral Racing Club Intermediate Handicap Hurdle - better known as the Gerry Feilden - went the way of Navajo Indy (15/2) for trainer Tom Symonds.

Navajo Indy, advised by Matt Brocklebank at 16/1 in his Value Bet column, was making his handicap debut after winning his last two starts in maiden and novice company and stayed on well to prevent Queens Gamble, also well backed, from making a winning reappearance.

Ballee, Excelero and Our Champ had opened up a clear lead by the time they raced down the far side with Navajo Indy prominent against the remainder.

Their exertions began to tell with Ballee the first to fold and Our Champ deserves credit for taking the field deep into the race. However, he was in the lead largely under sufferance with Queens Gamble biding her time in behind and Navajo Indy getting into gear towards the stands' side.

Navajo Indy was soon in the driving seat and motored home strongly under Gavin Sheehan to win by a length and a half.

Our Champ held on for third, ahead of top-weight Salver and Jeriko Du Reponet.

Jeriko Du Reponet was returning to hurdles after pulling up on his chasing bow and was too big at several early flights and was four or five lengths adrift of the field down the back. He made ground through beaten horses in the straight without every getting competitive.

"The three in front went clear and I didn't mind chasing them," said Sheehan.

"Just trying to keep him in his rhythm. But they've gone a nice, strong gallop and he was bang there turning in and I thought from turning in I always had the one in front to aim at and, to be fair, if he had a bit more company up the straight he probably would have found a bit more.

"He's done it very well and I'm sure he'll be better on top of the ground as well but that really strong gallop suited him."

Symonds said: “Gavin said turning in that he was full of it, which was like he was in his performance here before. His form with Be Aware in a novice hurdle has shown to be good form, what with his run in the Greatwood. 

“At Bangor the other day he won ugly, but he has mentally sharpened up today. I felt we had to give him an opportunity on a track that would suit him. He won his bumper here last season and he finds those flat straights on galloping tracks to his advantage. 

“We like to give him a bit of time between his races if possible, but I do think wetter ground is key to him, so I think he won in spite of it. 

“Today was an intermediate hurdle which are made for horses like him. We don’t want to be keen to go on to too many big things, but maybe he is telling us he needs to. 

“We could possibly work back from a Betfair Hurdle, but it might be drier then. Ground is so key to him. The Betfair Exchange Trophy at Ascot before Christmas might be for him. I think the horse has mentally grown up.”

Heart rules

Listentoyourheart (6/4 favourite) continued the fine run of favourites in the Play Coral 'Racing-Super-Series' For Free Mares' Novices' Hurdle.

The two mile Listed contest had gone the way of the market leader on seven occasions in the last 10 years and Dan Skelton's Listentoyourheart made it eight from 11 in completing her hat-trick but success wasn't without the odd scare.

Held-up in midfield by Harry Skelton, Listentoyourheart had to be ridden to close on the front-running Walkadina and Rula Bula and looked in trouble when the former was quicker over the last. However, Listentoyourheart rallied to challenge between her rivals and stayed on well to win by a length and a half.

Rula Bula finished second but Walkadina weakened on the run-in and was passed for third by Jubilee Alpha who finished well on her seasonal and hurdling debut.

The winning jockey said: "I think it was (a good race). She was the one that I thought was the best chance of a proper winner so I'm glad that's out the way.

"She won here the last day and it looked like her race to lose and she won that nicely. That was a step up today but she's got good bumper form, she stays really well; I think two and a half in the spring is going to be no problem to this filly.

"She's very easy to train, doesn't take a lot of work at all, tough, honest and she needs to have a chat with the other lot!"

Dan Skelton added: “She was good there, nipping through that gap. She is tough, hardy and has a bit of experience under her belt as we got on and raced her early. The last two races weren’t much, but she was there when everyone else wasn’t. Of course today was always going to be harder, but we were always preparing her for today.

“When they turned the taps on immediately she just took five strides to pick up where the others in front of her picked up more immediately. I knew, once she got running, that she was always going to relish a battle as she is tough. Some would have backed out of that hole, but she is not like that.

“She is very different to the other good mares we have had as she is a slightly more feminine boned type of horse, but in terms of raw ability she is as good as lots of them. She is not a Roksana, who was an out-an-out three miler, but she is pretty good and I love having her.

“She will definitely stay two and a half miles, if we want her to, but whether we need to in a rush I would say not. I’d say it is likely we go up to two and a half miles in the springtime. I might go to Taunton for a Listed mares’ novices’ hurdle now with her as she thrives on her racing.

“I could then see her go to the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon as she will get seven pounds off the boys there. Elle Est Belle won this race then went on to the Sidney Banks.

“At the moment, and I know there are a few that haven’t met, but realistically she is one of the leaders in the pack of the mares’ novices’ in the UK so at the moment she is going to Cheltenham. It would have to take a lot of talking out of it for us to not go there.”

Skeltons' New star?

The Coral 'We're Here For It' Novices' Hurdle has been won by some smart horses in recent years with Stage Star, Stay Away Fay and Bravemansgame on the roll of honour and the Skeltons will be hoping The New Lion (4/6 favourite) can prove every bit as good.

The New Lion, unbeaten in two starts, raced in third of the six runners with principal market rival Califet En Vol tracking him through the early stages. Skelton kept tabs on the front two of Electric Mason and French Ship before taking The New Lion wider to challenge in the straight with his mount on the bridle.

The New Lion edged into the lead approaching the last where he jumped better than his rivals and he found plenty on the run-in, going on to win by three lengths.

Califet En Vol battled on to claim minor honours from Electric Mason.

Dan Skelton said: “I think that was a very good race. The form going into it had lots of horses with ones next to their name. It would have been easy not to run as that is basically a graded race in all but name. We have always thought he is very good and today confirms that.

“He is just a very good horse and I hope he keeps being progressive. He has got a great brain on him and you can see he relaxed the whole way round. His jumping was good. When he was a bit far off one he was brave. He just seems to have it all. Hopefully he can be lucky and get a nice clear run and keep climbing the ladder.

“He is not slow. If you ended up getting loads of rain and you had to run somewhere then the softer it got the more likely he would be back over two miles. Hopefully we will come back here for the Challow Novices’ Hurdle, but we won’t be here for the Challow on heavy ground.

“In an ideal world he will come back here over Christmas and it will be a hell of a showdown as there are lots of fancied ones coming forward to that and his name will very much be in the ring for that. I’m not frightened of running them (against the Irish at Cheltenham). The only thing I wouldn’t do is run him on heavy ground.

“Opposition doesn’t fear me with this horse, but you have still got to be very mindful that he is only a novice.

Rain blow for strongest team

“Unfortunately earlier in the week Let It Rain got an injury after she won at Wetherby and had to go to hospital in Newmarket.

"She basically scraped a bit of a tendon so she has a 15 percent damaged tendon, but it has all been cleaned up and it is neat and tidy. She had the surgery, but unfortunately she will miss the rest of the season and will be back in the autumn.

“That is sport unfortunately, but this lad is right up with them. We are lucky we have some real nice horses.

“We are looking forward to running Pony Soprano next week. There is also Royal Infantry, who was a Listed bumper winner last season and a few others who we are yet to get going with. It is a nice team.

“I’d say it is our strongest team of novice hurdlers.”

A good day for Lavelle in General

The Coral 'Pipped-At-The-Post' And Win Handicap Chase (for The Jim Joel Memorial Trophy) looked competitive on paper and featured a gambled on runner in Issar d'Airy but only one horse could be called the winner for much of the straight.

General Medrano (8/1), named after a Bond villain, was tanking along under Ben Jones and didn't disappoint in coming home nine lengths clear of Beau Balko.

Jones came in for the ride as regular rider Tom Bellamy was on duty at Doncaster where he combined with General Medrano's trainer Emma Lavelle to win with Classic King as well as riding winners for Kim Bailey and Joe Tizzard.

Lavelle was at Newbury and said: "I have the privilege of sitting on this horse every day and he came out of Haydock and I couldn't believe how well he felt.

"We never usually back them up that quickly but he was just bouncing and every day, it wasn't like he was just fresh, he just kept coming out well and I said to the team at Elite [Racing, owners] 'I think we should run him again'.

"He's the most amazing jumper and just the coolest horse."

Jones added: "Tom has ridden him the majority of the time and I dropped him a message this morning saying 'what do I do?' and he just said 'enjoy him'.

"What a jumper. He travelled superbly and all I was thinking was I'm getting there too soon but he kept taking me there and once they get into a good rhythm like that you can't take them back."

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