Massac makes hay to take Coloroll

Alan King described himself has “extremely fortunate” after Massac made virtually every yard of the running to land the featured Grade Two Life From Coloroll Chase at Windsor.

Victory for the five-year-old completed a double for Robert Thornton.

And the Barbury Castle trainer had every reason to feel lucky after Massac, the 4-1 joint-favourite, was left in the lead when the very well backed Non So and Mick Fitzgerald slipped upon landing at the last.

Massac jumped superbly throughout, despite brushing through the second last and slightly stumbling at the final fence, before repelling the late challenge of Mondial Jack.

“We have been extremely fortunate to win here and that this has worked out well,” said King.

“I thought he’d had a hard race when he won at Huntingdon 11 days ago and I said that he’d need at least three weeks, but the conditions – a race for second-season novices – suited him. It was an afterthought and he was pretty tired after his last race and he had a big task today.

“It was unfortunate that Nicky’s horse came down at the last, but jumping is the name of the game, I suppose.”

Owner JP McManus has most of his powerful string with Jonjo O’Neill and has just one horse with James Fanshawe.

But the legendary punter might think about sending him a few more after the impressive hurdling debut by Reveillez in the competitive Jeff Banks Port of Call Introductory Novices’ Hurdle.

Thornton’s mount, who was rated 92 on the Flat, scooted to a seven-length success from Finely Tuned.

“He will stay further,” said the trainer’s wife Jacko Fanshawe. “That was very pleasing. I was a bit worried because he has never run on ground this soft, but he really enjoys hurdling.

“He left to join Mr McManus at his stud in the summer and when he came back, he had really strengthened. It has doe him a world of good – but I guess it would do us all a world of good if we stayed there for a while, because you’d be well looked after.”

McManus’ patron at Jackdaws Castle has not been in the best of form of late, but Fitzgerald, whose black mood rendered him speechless after his earlier tumble at the last, was in slightly brighter mood when he rode 13-2 shot Jones’s Road right out to the line to win the two and a half-mile Crown Wallcoverings Novices’ Handicap Chase by 18 lengths.

“I was a bit worried when he didn’t jump the first,” Fitzgerald said when jumping off the six-year-old McManus-owned Be My Native gelding. “It’s about time you lot gave me a good ride,” he quipped to O’Neill’s waiting handlers.

Jones’s Road, who overcame a 196-day lay-off to provide the McManus double, was routinely tested.

Fitzgerald doubled his tally when having an armchair ride aboard the Colin Tinkler-trained Oscar Park in the concluding Coloroll Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race, recording a six-length victory, though it could have been further if his rider had wished.

Tinkler’s string has been in ripe form recently and he said: “We were not sure if this one would go in very soft ground, but they are just coming into form. He has schooled well at home, but there is no rush. We might try and find a bumper under a penalty before he goes hurdling.”

Supreme Piper made almost every yard of the running to land the extended three-mile Vymura Handicap Hurdle under a polished ride from Paul Flynn.

Very little got into the race, which the young Irishman had sewn up approaching three out when kicking five lengths clear.

The Philip Hobbs-trained 11-8 favourite maintained that advantage to the line, beating Dream Falcon (10-1).

“He might go over fences on his next start. He just keeps going, but we will have to see if he what the handicapper does,” Hobbs said. “We ran him here because we thought he could win off that mark, and if we find he doesn’t go up too much, we might try and find a similar sort of race.”

Colliers Court recorded a hat-trick for Chester trainer Lisa Williams when landing the Anaglypta Novices’ Chase.

Ollie McPhail had a relatively easy time aboard the top weight as few got into the race, the 11-10 favourite running out an eight-length winner from Six Of One.

“He wants better ground,” said Williams’ representative Ted Roberts.

“He tended to spook at the figure of eight and couldn’t jump out of this soft ground, but Ollie said he galloped all the way to the line and two miles on better ground is what we’ll look for next.”