Jolly set for quick reappearance
Venetia Williams hopes to strike while the iron is hot with Jolly Boy after the lightly-raced six-year-old comfortably lumped a 7lb penalty to victory at Fontwell.
The ex-French performer took some time to acclimatise to life on this side of the Channel, running disappointingly last season for his new stable.
But now he has found his form again, Jolly Boy proved too strong for his rivals in the Hyder Consulting (UK) Ltd Handicap Chase.
Sam Thomas took up the running at the third fence and the 9-2 favourite maintained the gallop all the way to the line, sealing a 10-length victory with some fine jumping in the home straight.
“The penny has dropped,” said Williams. “It took him a while to get it together but he seems to be progressing with every race now and hopefully he can win again at Huntingdon on Thursday.
“At the moment he is out of the handicap there but if the weights go up he will be well in by a couple of pounds because he is due to go up 12lb on Saturday for last week’s win.”
Brendan Powell has his team in good order at present and he kept up the good work when Tora Bora got the better of a lengthy duel with Rosecliff to land the opening Shone Building Ltd Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle.
Desert Moonbeam made the running despite a slipped saddle for the first half of the contest before handing the lead to Rosecliff and 3-1 shot Tora Bora with a circuit to run.
The pair were well-clear of the remainder before a mistake at the last flight from 4-7 favourite Rosecliff gifted the race to Tora Bora, who came home two and a half lengths clear under Timmy Murphy.
“This time next year he’ll be running over three miles, I would imagine, because all he does is jump and stay,” said Powell.
“I’m delighted to train my first winner of the season for David Johnson, who has got three horses with me.”
Balladeer (7-2) made a stylish winning debut for trainer Lawney Hill when taking the Weatherbys Bank Beginners’ Chase.
The winner, bought out of Henrietta Knight’s yard for £11,800 at last month’s Ascot Sales, survived an error when standing off too far from the open ditch but jumped well in the main.
And he stayed on strongly to defy fears about the dead ground, scoring under Andrew Thornton by eight lengths from De Blanc.
Favourite Rakalackey was untidy at the third-last fence and never able to make an impression, fading close home to finish fourth.
“A second-string from Henrietta’s yard is a star in our stable and she was extremely helpful when we decided we wanted to buy this horse,” said Hill.
“Days like this are what it is all about for a small stable like ours and I am delighted for the horse’s owner, Max McNeil, for whom this is a first winner.
“He had never won over hurdles on this sort of ground and it was a worry but he handled it well.
“Robert Thornton usually rides for us but he is suspended today and so we were lucky to get Andrew – he is a top-class jockey.”
Dearson battled home to see off the front-running Arumun in the Simon Taylor 40th Birthday Novices’ Hurdle.
Noel Fehily brought the 13-2 winner through to challenge his rival between the final two flights and he stayed on to get the better of his rival by three and a half lengths.
“He’s still got a bit of growing up to do but he will be a nice horse for the future,” said winning trainer Charlie Mann.
“He wasn’t really liking the ground but he was brave enough to go through it.”
Local lad Philip Hide steered Wenger to victory in the Bet365 Call 08000 322 365 Handicap Hurdle, despite the 14-1 chance hanging right under pressure on the run-in.
And Hide was left hoping this half-length victory over Coustou could kick-start the season for Wenger’s trainer Peter Winkworth.
“Mr Winkworth has got some very nice horses to run this season but they have just been needing time so hopefully this is a good sign,” said the rider.
Champion jockey Tony McCoy was none the worse for a nasty-looking fall in the Sam Harris Bookmakers Handicap Chase.
McCoy collided with the legs of the horse in front when thrown from his mount, Farmer Grant, at the second-last fence, but he was able to walk away from the incident.
The race fell to the Peter Bowen-trained Dunbrody Millar (100-30), who just edged out Ebony Jack in a thrilling finish.
Businessmoney Jake (4-1) defied a 7lb penalty to lift the closing Kings Beach Hotel, Pagham Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle for rider Liam Heard and trainer Victor Dartnall.
