HAPPY JACK CELEBRATES A ST ANDREW’S DAY FAKENHAM DOUBLE
Newmarket-based jockey Jack Quinlan notched an impressive St Andrew’s Day double at Fakenham, taking the honours in two competitive steeplechases.
Quinlan landed the £11,000 feature Testerton Chase over a marathon three miles and five furlongs on the Martin Smith trained Friends Don’t Ask, returned at 9/1.
Bryony Frost pulled up The Happy Chappy early on and as the marathon contest unravelled it was left for Friends Don’t Ask to clear the last of the 22 fences and romp home by five lengths from favourite Strictlyadancer and Telson Barley.
“Martin was keen to come here with this gelding for this marathon trip and once the rain arrived he was even more confident. He jumped really well and deserved that,” said Quinlan.
Earlier, Captain Speaking, running in the colours of the ‘We Live in Norfolk Partnership,’ completed a hat-trick with a superb success in the five-runner Racing is Everyone’s Sport Chase to notch the first half of Quinlan’s double.
Trained by Nick Littmoden, Captain Speaking hit the front early and his strong gallop took his rivals out of their comfort zones. He jumped superbly to win by 13 lengths, returned at 9/4.
Captain Speaking had won at Uttoxeter and Plumpton in September and left Quinlan delighted. “He’s a big horse and is getting better. Once warmed up he jumped brilliantly. He’s got some scope and is a pleasure to ride,” he said.
There was a winning hurdling debut for Pasvolsky in the St Andrew’s Day Maiden Hurdle, the gelding following up a recent Wincanton bumper success for trainer Chris Gordon and jockey Tom Cannon.
The 6/5 favourite led from the off and gamely held on to win by two lengths from her two rivals.
Gordon went on to complete a training double when the aptly-named Can’t Stop Now won the Racing is Everyone’s Sport Juvenile Hurdle under Joshua Moore.
The very keen gelding ploughed throught the first hurdling and demolished at least two others on his way to a pillar to post victory, returned at 8/1.
Complete outsider Sawpit Sienna pulled off a major shock in the opening Pudding Norton Hurdle, returned at 40/1 for jockey Robert Dunne and trainer Sam Drinkwater. It was the mare’s first run for Drinkwater and she moved clear at the last to score from Say Nothing and Be The Difference.
The Colkirk Chase closed the card and went to the Sam Twiston-Davies ridden and Donald McCain trained Court Jurado, winning his first chase under rules, returned at 10/3.
