Johnson joy as Billyvoddan brings up ton
He needed all his considerable strength to get the 5-4 favourite home by one and a quarter lengths from King Killone after making all the running.
“You always want more winners but it’s nice to get the 100 again,” Johnson said after being presented with a bottle of champagne by the racecourse executive.
“At the start of the season if you could guarantee getting to 100 you’d be delighted.
“I’ll just try and ride as many winners as I can now until the end of the season.”
Billyvoddan’s trainer Henry Daly, who has had a licence since 1998, had broken new ground earlier on the card when Menphis Beury became his first winner on Town Moor.
The Ludlow-based handler had sent out 20 losers at the course in the last five seasons but Menphis Beury stopped the rot in the 08000 722 421 Freephone Betting From Sky Bet Novices’ Handicap Chase.
The French-bred five-year-old put up a sound staying performance to win on his first attempt at three miles.
Mark Bradburne produced the 6-1 shot to lead at the penultimate fence and a prodigious leap carried the gelding clear. He came home two and a half lengths ahead of Benefit.
“I’ve had plenty of runners but that’s my first winner at Doncaster,” Daly said afterwards.
“This horse jumped shocking at Huntingdon last time but he jumped well here and it was his first time over three miles, which helped.
“We’ll just carry on with him and find something like this over three miles on good ground.”
Karelian, beaten at odds-on on his jumping debut at Kelso last time, recouped losses with a stylish performance in the skybetvegas.com Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle.
Kevin Ryan went to 105,000 guineas at the Newmarket sales to buy the ex-French four-year-old and he went some way to repaying his purchase price by beating Nation State and Pay Attention by three lengths and three-quarters.
Graham Lee sent Karelian to the front approaching the third-last and the 9-1 chance drew steadily clear to score with some authority and net the winner’s prize of £7,241.
“He looks cheap now but he looked dear at Kelso,” Ryan said. “He’s a proper horse but he’s a real big baby of a horse.
“He’ll be well looked after now. We won’t be going to Cheltenham or anything. We’ll maybe go to Aintree or maybe take him over to Punchestown, but he’ll be nurtured this year. We’ll let him grow up.
“There’s a lot to come from him.”
