Ironside adds to Tizzard tally
Ironside helped keep the Colin Tizzard bandwagon rolling when making all to plunder the £25,000 skybet.com Sussex National at Plumpton.
The end of 2007 proved a fruitful time for Tizzard as he notched up 10 winners during November and December, and more of the same can be expected in the New Year judged on the 25-1 shot’s success.
Dave Crosse kept the nine-year-old up to his work and he galloped on dourly to hold the 4-1 favourite Petite Margot by six lengths, with just five of the 11 runners completing the marathon contest.
Tizzard, sending out his fourth winner in the last 14 days, said: “Typical Ironside, he never ran a race at Warwick on Monday but being allowed to dominate here helped a lot.
“He should have never been an outsider, we thought he had a good chance of getting placed, and they gave him an easy lead.”
Kruguyrova posted her most impressive success over fences to date in the Skybet Early Prices On Every Race Novices’ Chase, but a trip to the Cheltenham Festival now seems unlikely.
The mare was second choice of punters who sent her off at 11-10 in the hope Its A Dream – the 5-6 favourite – could reverse the placings after he went down to Charles Egerton’s five-year-old last month.
But she extended the winning margin and after going on at the third fence she pulled right away to see off her main danger by 22 lengths.
Referring to the SIS bonus offered to any horse winning one of five selected races at Plumpton before following up at the Festival, Egerton added: “I don’t think she is good enough, and there is a mares’ novices’ chase at Newbury she could go for.”
Pocket Aces built on last month’s second-place finish by going one better under Paddy Brennan as the 8-13 favourite in the EBF Bet & Watch At skybet.com “NH” Novices’ Hurdle.
Trainer Richard Rowe said: “He made some sloppy mistakes last time and I see him as a chaser rather than a hurdler so it was nice to see his jumping improve.”
A first win for 240 days came the way of trainer Michael Madgwick as Sumdancer (25-1) was handed victory in the Skybet Press Red To Bet On ATR Novices’ Hurdle.
The skybetvegas.com Casino Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race saw a much-improved performance from the Nick Gifford-trained Alderluck (7-1), who provided Andrew Thornton with a win from his only ride of the day.
Gary Moore always does well at his local jumps track and saddled the first two home in the skypoker.com Handicap Hurdle as 4-1 joint-favourite Cockatoo, ridden by his son Jamie, led home market rival and stablemate White On Black for a length victory.
The Hardy Boy failed to repeat his win of 12 months ago in the Online On Air Now skypoker.com Handicap Chase as Running Hot (5-2) forged clear to cross the line with 17 lengths in hand.
