Dobbin delight with near 16-1 treble
The seven-year-old was sent off the 2-5 favourite for the wbx.com Committed To National Hunt Racing Graduation Chase and the race soon turned into a tactical affair with none of the three runners keen to go on. Turnstile took it up on sufferance, hardly going a canter, before Timmy Murphy steadied him further to let Turpin Green, who carries the Trevor Hemmings colours, go on at the fourth.
Turpin Green made the rest of the running before Exotic Dancer moved up to join him three out, but the market leader soon saw off the challenge and went away to beat him by 28 lengths.
Trainer Nicky Richards said: “Maybe we should have put a front-runner in for him, but on paper he was always going to win if everything went right for him.”
Dobbin struck again for Richards to also make it a double for the trainer when Ever Present (3-1) made all the running in the wbx.com Committed To National Hunt Racing Handicap Chase.
Richards added: “I was delighted with that. He jumped well for a horse having only his third run over fences but he can be a bit of a lad and we have to mount him in the boxes. He might develop into something.”
Dobbin had earlier initiated his hat-trick aboard Hockenheim (2-1 joint favourite) in the wbxtriplecrown.com Novices’ Hurdle.
The Howard Johnson-trained runner hit the front two out and kept on bravely to see off Ballyboley by eight lengths with Hold The Bid a similar distance away in third place.
Owner Graham Wylie said: “He is a very nice horse, he is still growing and as Tony said, he will get stronger. We will stay hurdling this season, but he is a chaser in the making and he will go over fences next season.”
Johnson and Wylie were also in double form with Theatre Knight (3-1 favourite) obliging under Alan Dempsey in the World Bet Exchange wbx.com Lucius Handicap Chase.
Tom O’Brien made the six-hour journey from Minehead pay off when the George Moore-trained Dolans Bay (9-1) got the better of a thrilling finish in the wbx.com Launching On November 25th Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
Dolans Bay was locked in battle with the Tony McCoy-ridden Parkinson from the final flight but as he edged half a length clear, he hung left and interfered with his rival.
The stewards called an inquiry and although they confirmed that interference had taken place, they decided that it had not improved Dolans Bay’s placing.
However, O’Brien picked up a two-day suspension (November 17 and 19) for careless riding and was cautioned for using his whip with excessive frequency.
O’Brien said: “I came up with Richard Johnson and it won’t seem so long going back home, though I still have another two hours to go after I drop him off.”
