Timmy Murphy endured an up-and-down afternoon at Huntingdon with the pain of a two-day ban eased by winning the feature race.

Sam Thomas warmed up for the biggest ride of his career on Kauto Star at the weekend with a confidence-boosting success on board the Paul Nicholls-trained Geeveem at Wincanton.

Things are looking brighter for Robert Alner as the Dorset handler makes steady progress in hospital while his string hit the heights on the racecourse.