McCoy scores Kempton double

Champion jockey Tony McCoy enjoyed another successful day at Kempton riding a double, highlighted by a brave victory on Zafarabad in the feature Skybet.com Gold Cup Chase.

Zafarabad is trained by Phillip Hobbs, and the handler's wife Sarah told McCoy before the three-mile contest to give the eight-year-old a positive ride.

That was exactly what he did, the grey being at the head of affairs for most of the race and locked for someway in a dramatic duel with Roller Blade until Zafarabad saw that one off and ultimately beat Audacter and Ryalux by a length and a half and two lengths.

Mrs Hobbs said: "Tony (McCoy) was not in the best of moods before the race as he thought he had been having too many seconds lately.

"Zafarabad does well if you tell him to jump, and he is not a bad horse at all, once being favourite for the Triumph Hurdle when David Nicholson had him.

"He seems to love going round bends, and quickens up when he does so. There are no definite plans for him at the moment."

Earlier McCoy had survived a bad fall in the opening Sky Bet Press Red To Bet Handicap Hurdle when his mount, 9-2 favourite Christopher, fell at the final flight pinning him underneath.

Bystanders pulled the grey gelding off him and McCoy managed to limp back to the weighing room to take his next ride.

McCoy said: "My foot got twisted in the iron and I couldn't get it out from under the horse, but I'm fine now."

There was a thrilling finish to the race where 6-1 shot Ballyvaddy, trained by Toby Balding, was forced up by Marcus Foley to lead in the last stride and score by a short head from Barcelona.

Balding said: "Ballyvaddy is a grand, tough individual. That was my first jump winner this term from three runners, the other two having been fourth."

McCoy bounced back quickly though to take the following Weatherbys Insurance Juvenile Novices Hurdle on the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Spectroscope.

The gelding was having his first run over timber after landing two wins at Goodwood on the flat in August and September. Taking it up between the lasts two flights Spectroscope, the 7-4 market leader, asserted on the level to score by three lengths from Naf Na Riogh.

McCoy said: "Spectroscope jumped well except for one hurdle where he was unsighted."

Rooster Booster is on offer at 25-1 with bookmaker Victor Chandler for next year's Champion Hurdle after toying with odds-one favourite Mr Cool in the Platinum Security Hurdle.

It was an intriguing contest between Mr Cool and Rooster Booster from half a mile out, where Norman Williamson on the latter was pulling double over his rival, partnered by McCoy.

It was obvious that Rooster Booster, trained by Hobbs, who was initiating a double consolidated by Zafarabad, could take it up whenever he wanted, and when the button was pressed the grey surged ahead to win by seven lengths from Mr Cool.

A superb leap from Running Man at the second last in the Nic Wellington's 40th Birthday Handicap Chase clinched a first-class performance by the Paul Webber-trained gelding.

Running Man was always first or second in the two mile event under Mick Fitzgerald, and when he made that prodigious jump it was all over for his rivals, of whom runner up Damus was nearest to him at the finish at a distance of 16 lengths.