Show On The Road gets the new year started at Exeter
Roger Penny, a long term supporter of jump racing, recorded his 116th win as an owner when the aptly named Show On the Road won Exeter’s first race of the year yesterday.
Trained by Philip Hobbs, the seven-year-old was sent off the 6-5 favourite, and ran out a convincing winner to score by 13 lengths with Micheal Nolan in the saddle. “I had my first winner on Boxing Day 45 years ago at Newton Abbot and it’s lovely to start the new year with a win,” said Mr Penny.
Yalltari was left in front in the Thurlestone Hotel Handicap Hurdle after Lucy Gardner’s strong challenge on Here’s Herbie was curtailed when he came down two flights from home, leaving the winner with a wide margin advantage from the rest of the field. Charlie Deutsch was on board the winner for Venetia Williams.
New Year’s Day was memorable for all the wrong reasons for Adam Wedge who was handed a 21-day suspension after he by-passed the third last fence in the three runner 188bet sponsored beginners’ chase. Wedge made the mistake aboard 4/7 favourite Report To Base who was first past the post but subsequently disqualified into last place. Colin Tizzard's 9/4 chance Valhalla and Tom Scudamore were awarded the race and Phobiaphiliac was placed second.
The three-mile Hartnoll Hotel Handicap Chase proved a real slog in the testing conditions with just four of the nine runners completing headed by the Tom Weston-trained Western Climate who drew clear after the last to win by 28 lengths with Sean Bowen in the saddle.
The Victor Dartnall-trained Run To Milan had made a good impression at the course on his hurdles debut last month when he was defeated three and a quarter lengths by The Russian Doyen. Sent off the 13-8 favourite in the Billy Williams Memorial Maiden Hurdle, it was an impressive performance as he stuck to his task well in the testing conditions to win by a length and a quarter in the hands of Nick Scholfield.
Chris Barber, part of the winning syndicate of three owners, said: “We’re all over the moon. You always think that they are better than anything else and when it actually happens it’s worth everything. It’s a lovely way to start the new year. He was so brave today in that ground and a lot of credit must go to Nick who went for the better ground and has always loved the horse. He comes up schooling to Victor’s regularly and has always thought a lot of him.”
Henry Oliver has had plenty of runners at Exeter who have run well in defeat and yesterday he recorded his first success with Major Hindrance winning the Linn Hunter Handicap Chase. David Crosse drove out the eight-year-old for a one and three quarters of a lengths success much to the delight of Oliver’s wife Heather. “It’s a long drive to Exeter and I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever have a winner here so that was great,” she said.
Summit Like Herbie, ridden by Jack Savage, was well backed to make a winning debut in the Devon County Show bumper and he did in in style, much to the delight of his Friends of Herbie syndicate of owners who include former racecourse director Nigel Payne and current director Tim Hailstone.