Knight's one for the future

One Knight made it two out of three over fences in the Christine Loze Birthday Novices’ Chase at Exeter today, but trainer Philip Hobbs will delay stepping him up in class.

The Roselier gelding, the 8-13 favourite, went on at the second in the near three-mile test, and generally jumping well, he made the rest of the running he won with something in hand under Richard Johnson.

Hobbs, leading trainer at the course was taking his score for the season to 87 representing a ratio of a winner to every four runners, and he said: “He is in the Feltham Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day but that may be a bit too much too soon for him.

“Richard (Johnson) said he thinks another run for experience wouldn’t be a bad thing, he has won more races than he has been beaten in at this stage anyway and we hope he might be decent in the long term, but it is long term , he is a big backward horse.”

Robert Alner and conditional jockey Robert Walford were in double form with Just A Minute (8-1) in European Breeders Fund/Tattersalls (Ireland) Mares’ Only Novices’ Chase (Qualifier) and Twisted Logic (11-2), who landed the South-West Racing Club Chase (Showcase Handicap) for the second year running.

The two wins bore similarities in that is did not look as if either horse was going to win with one to jump, Just A Minute’s success being the most dramatic as she caught Opal’lou, who had appeared to be cantering over her rivals, right on the line.

And it looked as if Desailly could pick up Twisted Logic when he wanted, but he found little when asked a question on the run-in and Alner’s nine-year-old stayed on resolutely to hold him off.

Tana River had found only one to good for him on his two previous outings and the 8-11 shot made it third time lucky in decisive fashion under Barry Fenton in the first division of the We Wish You A happy Christmas Novices’ Hurdle.

Fenton sent the Emma Lavelle trained gelding into the lead turning out of the back straight, and though he did not have things all his own way he always seemed to be holding the call.

There apparently was not a lot of confidence in the Martin Pipe camp that the stable would have a winner and it was not misplaced as the champion trainer drew a rare blank.

Lady Of The Inn came closest when third best behind Peter Winkworth’s Bee An Bee (3-1), who took the South-West Racing Club Novices’ Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Leighton Aspell.