Poli just perfect at Wincanton

Poliantas proved the punters all wrong and became the highlight of a memorable treble for Timmy Murphy with a dogged success in the feature contest at Wincanton today.

The £30,000 Tote Exacta Levy Board Chase was rescued from the ashes of the abandoned First National Bank Gold Cup at Ascot last Saturday.

And the race provided a thrilling finish as Poliantas – who was virtually unbacked and drifted out from 5-2 to 9-2 in the betting ring – was driven out to record a length and a half success over Golden Goal with Fondmort close behind in third.

Richard Johnson and Thyne Will Tell, who took a crashing fall together at the fourth-last fence when going well in front, were thankfully none the worse for the tumble.

That left Golden Goal in front with Mick Fitzgerald seemingly going sweetly just in behind on Fondmort.

But when Poliantas swept past both of them between the final two fences neither were able to find enough to repel the challenge of Murphy’s mount.

The irony that Poliantas had been the only one of the sextet of runners not to have been originally engaged in the Ascot contest was not lost on winning trainer Paul Nicholls.

“Ascot would have come too soon after the Thomas Pink but the timing of this race fitted in nicely,” said Nicholls, who later completed a double with Murphy when Bunratty Castle took the Hilary Pike 60th Birthday Silver Buck Chase.

“He is the Tripleprint next week but he is a definite non-runner because it would be too soon. He is only five and worth looking after for the future,” Nicholls added.

“I would like to run him in the Mid-Season Chase at Wincanton on Boxing Day and then we will take it from there.”

The Tripleprint could, however, be an option for either Golden Goal or Fondmort.

The runner-up’s trainer Venetia Williams said: “He was fit enough for today because he had been ready for Ascot – I just wish racing had gone ahead there and then we wouldn’t have had to run against Poliantas!

“He is in the Tripleprint on 9st 10lb but the timing isn’t ideal and it might come a bit soon. We’ll see how things go.”

While Fondmort’s trainer Nicky Henderson said: “Mick came back and said he wished he had kicked on two out.

“But we didn’t really know whether he would stay so he didn’t want to commit. He stayed on so well that now we know he does it gives us a lot more options, of which the Tripleprint could be one.”

It was only six weeks ago that at the same track Murphy had ridden his first winner since a prison term and a well-publicised battle with alcoholism.

But he is now showing all of his old sparkle in the saddle and completed a treble when Hiers de Brouage held the rally of See You Around to win the See More Business Bar Handicap Chase.

“He has had problems but it is great to win for one of my most long-standing and loyal owners, Simon Seddon-Brown,” said winning trainer Johnny Portman.

“A week ago when I hadn’t trained a winner for an age he would probably have got beaten in the photo but that’s the way it goes in racing. Now we have turned the corner I’m hoping for a few more winners.”

Fondmort’s team of Henderson and Fitzgerald had earlier been on the mark as 5-6 favourite Irish Hussar made a pleasing debut over fences in the Best South West Racecourse Novices’ Chase.

The lightly-raced son of Supreme Leader got in a bit low at the final fence but showed a superior turn of foot to edge past Ask Henry on the run-in.

“That was only his fourth race so it was a good effort but we have always thought he was a good horse,” said Henderson.

“We will keep him on a roll now that he is going well and we might think about the Feltham Chase for him at Kempton.”

Hot on the heels of a 100-1 winner earlier this week at Hereford, Its Wallace Jr caused another major turn-up as he scored first over time over obstacles at 66-1 in the Christmas Party Day Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle.

Mark Bradburne’s mount took advantage of a monumental blunder by favourite Mirant who threw Tony McCoy to the ground when leading at the final flight.

Winning trainer Sheena West, who is based just outside Lewes in East Sussex, was saddling her sixth winner in the 18 months she has held a licence.

And she admitted that this success had come as a bit of a surprise after some rather ordinary performances on the Flat this year.

“He’s by a £400 stallion out of a £400 mare – I am completely shocked but delighted,” she said.

“He reminded us of Its Wallace, a horse who has given us a lot of fun, which is how he got his name.

“He finished fourth one day on the Flat over two miles so we knew he’d stay but we didn’t expect this.

“It’s a great reward for the stable. I’m a single mum and so is Deena Goad who leads him up and the girl back home, Linzi Mason, has kids as well.

“It takes a lot of effort to get all of the kids and all of the horses sorted out and it is great when it all comes together like this.”

McCoy injured his thumb in the fall and gave up his remaining rides but he is expected to return at Exeter tomorrow.