Medermit refuses to play ball
In a truly dramatic renewal of the Tom Jones Memorial HTJ Centre Novices’ Chase, the ante-post favourite for next March’s Arkle Trophy ground to a halt at the sixth fence, just when he looked to be warming to his task out in front.
As if that was not enough, Harry Tricker was awarded the race by the stewards when severely hampered by Sergeant Pink on the run-in.
Medermit, one of the country’s leading two-mile hurdlers last season, was sent off at 1-5 for the four-runner event after a satisfactory chasing debut at Aintree last month, and is one of the primary hopes of trainer Alan King.
Jockey Wayne Hutchinson said: “A couple of fence attendants caught his eye.”
King added: “At moments like this, you either laugh or cry, and I vote we laugh.
“It’s back to the drawing board, and he won’t make the running again.
“It was all going so well. You live and learn, but he’s the last horse I expected to do that.”
Harry Tricker (7-1) and Sergeant Pink were left to soldier on, but they were right on top of each other, and the former was nearly pushed wide of the rail separating the winning post and the fence in front of the stands, around 25 yards from home.
Harry Tricker’s jockey Jamie Moore said: “He (Sergeant Pink’s jockey Tom Scudamore) was leaning all over me.”
However Steve Gollings, trainer of Sergeant Pink, said: “He was going away at the line. I have spoken to Tom and he is planning to appeal.
“Tom said the saddle slipped sideways after the last fence, although I didn’t see it.
“We wanted something nice and small, and with the Arkle favourite in there I thought if we popped round, we’d be third on the formbook.”
The stewards considered the interference to have been accidental, but enough to improve Sergeant Pink’s placing.
