Nicholls enjoys family fortunes

Paul Nicholls may never get the chance to train a triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, but he can at least lay claim to being fully familiar with the family after scoring for the second time in a week with a full-brother to Best Mate at Wincanton today.

Having struck with the quirky Cornish Rebel at Newbury on Sunday, it was the turn of the equally-enigmatic Inca Trail to come home in front as he benefited from an exemplary Ruby Walsh ride to win the Silver Buck Handicap Chase.

It was the first leg of a 72-1 treble for trainer and jockey at their local track.

The well-backed 11-4 favourite has shown a tendency to find less then expected in the past when asked to go and win.

But the eight-year-old barely knew he had been in a race here as he cantered home by five lengths from Carryonharry without his rider having to do more than give him a nudge in the belly and a shake of the reins.

Having steadily picked off his rivals from the back of the field, Inca Trail found himself in the lead approaching the second-last after Carryonharry made a bad mistake at the previous fence when in front.

However, Walsh did not panic and just allowed his mount to ease home.

“It takes a bit of time to get to know these horses but I think we’ve got him cracked now,” said Nicholls.

A few seasons back Inca Trail was thought to be a top-class prospect, not least on his pedigree, but a largely-disappointing spell with Henrietta Knight, where he frequently suffered from breathing problems, ended when he was sold to join his new yard six months ago.

“When I first bought him I was starting to think I’d made a bit of a rick, but he’s only a novice and I think we’ll have a bit of fun with him now,” said Nicholls, winning this race for the third time in four years.

“There’s a £20,000 (€28,953) race at Ludlow next week and that might suit him.

“I wouldn’t be thinking about the SunAlliance for him, but if he’s still going well at the end of the season we might have a look at the Whitbread (now the Betfred Gold Cup) as I think he’s slightly better going right-handed than he is left.

“He jumped very well today and Ruby seems to have got that sorted out with him, too.”

Nicholls and Walsh completed a double when Island Stream (11-2) quickened up best to win the toteexacta Handicap Hurdle.

The race was marred by a pile-up at the third-last, where Crossbow Creek fell and brought down favourite Monticelli and Prince Of Persia.

Happily, all three jockeys were able to walk back to the weighing room, although Mick Fitzgerald suffered lacerations to his face and missed his remaining rides, as did Tom Scudamore, who picked up cuts and bruises to his legs.

The news was worse for conditional Robert Walford, who sustained a suspected fractured left ankle when unseated from Avas Delight at the next flight, and he was taken to Dorchester Hospital for X-rays.

The treble came up when Patches made a successful chasing debut in the Guinness Beginners’ Chase.

The 2-1 joint-favourite appeared in trouble when ridden along out of the back straight, but he stayed on well to catch Lacdoudal before the final fence and edged clear on the run-in to win by three lengths.

Kadount, who is becoming slightly frustrating to follow this season, was a similar distance back in third.

“He probably wants further than this but he jumped well and galloped on bravely,” said Nicholls.

“As soon as he won here over hurdles last time out we decided to go straight over fences, and he has schooled well since he first went over them.”

Seamus Durack became the latest jockey in the wars when he sustained cuts to his back in a fall from No Collusion.

Nicholls and Walsh had in fact started the day on a bad note when odds-on favourite Nanga Parbat hit the deck in the second division of the AJC Caterers Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle.

Coming to the second-last flight Nanga Parbat was upsides Dunlea Dancer (4-1) and possibly going better, but he crumpled on landing and left his rival clear to win eased down by 17 lengths under Richard Johnson.

“You can’t say whether he would have won, and what he beat doesn’t look much good, so it’s hard to be conclusive,” said winning trainer Philip Hobbs.

“But we’ll kick on with him as he is a tough sort of horse.

“He was bought at the Newmarket Sales out of Mark Johnston’s yard and although some people say he might not be a good trainer to buy from, we’ve had a lot of luck with horses from his yard before, with horses like Double Honour, Shamsan and Xellance.

“They might have had plenty of races but they’re always 100 per cent sound.”

Favourite-backers suffered an early blow when odds-on Norma Hill overjumped and crashed out at the first flight of the opener, the first division of the novices’ hurdle.

The 8-11 market leader’s departure left the way clear for Cunning Pursuit and Rood Boy to have the race between them for the rest of the contest.

And it was the former, a 7-2 chance, who took advantage as he was galvanised by Fitzgerald to rally and beat Rood Boy by one and three-quarter lengths.

“The frost has come out of the ground and made conditions quite sticky,” said the winning rider. “We’d been in front for a long time with Rood Boy and my fellow was starting to idle quite badly, but he picked up all right when I gave him a couple of smacks.”

Only four runners completed in the Hopkins Concrete & Aggregate Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Chase, but there was still an exciting finish as Parish Oak (5-2) and Wayne Hutchinson just got the better of Sacrifice and Colin Bolger by a length and a half.

The concluding Weatherbys Insurance ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle fell to 16-1 chance Starlight Express, who gave a welcome winner to trainer Emma Lavelle and jockey Barry Fenton.

Conditional Derek Laverty was the final riding casualty of the day when unseated at the first fence from Sol Chance, having only come in for the ride to replace the bruised Scudamore.

But he was able to walk back to the ambulance and did not appear to be seriously injured.