FINN SAILS HOME AS BALLYANDY LANDS THE SPOILS
Finn Lambert rode only the second winner of his career when grabbing the £20,000 Little Snoring Handicap Hurdle at Fakenham.
Lambert was on the Nigel Twiston-Davies trained Ballyandy who won for the first time in two years, romping away from three rivals to score by 18 lengths.
There was little between the quartet of runners on the first two circuits and it wasn’t until the final lap that the race developed. Potters Hedger and Kansas City Chief were ahead two furlongs out before 22-year-old Lambert got a terrific run out of the 9/4 winner.
“It was brilliant. I couldn’t believe how far ahead he was. The further we went the better for him,” said Lambert, whose first winner was in November.
Swinging London booked a shot at the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle (The Fred Winter) at the Cheltenham Festival with an impressive success in the Toftrees Maiden Hurdle.
Trained by Olly Murphy and ridden by Aidan Coleman, the 8/13 favourite delivered the spoils after an emphatic display.
“He was a bit fresh but didn’t miss a beat. I imagine he will head for the Fred Winter,” said Murphy, who revealed that the gelding was also entered for a hurdle race in America in the summer.
It was Swinging London’s debut for Murphy, having previously twice been third in Ireland when trained by Ellmarie Holden.
Thirtyfourstitches, a frontrunning winner at Fakenham three weeks ago, repeated the feat in the Brisley Primary Academy Handicap Hurdle.
The Richard Newland trained gelding made every yard to win at 100/30 to record the Droitwich handler’s 50th victory of the season.
Ridden by Cillin Leonard, Thirtyfourstitches came under pressure from Sainte Doctor rounding the final bend, but the seven-year-old had enough to score by a length.
Newland and Leonard went on to complete a double when top weight Rostello won the Hellesdon Leather and Cloth Furniture Company Chase at 9/4.
Long-time leader Court Jurado was clear but Leonard conjured a fine run from Rostello, third at Fakenham last time, and the gelding pulled clear to run out an easy victor.
The Laura Morgan trained Radetzky March made a winning chasing debut when taking the Racing To School Novice Chase. Under David Noonan, the seven-year-old was quietly ridden before cruising around the two frontrunners two furlongs out, to win at 9/2.
The closing Mares’ Hurdle provided a terrific finish and went to Stuart Edmunds’ Midnight Murphy under Ciaran Gethings, who repeated her win at the course 23 days earlier, returned at 11/4, a neck ahead of two fast-finishing rivals.
