George ace the talk of Exeter
Tom George found the ground and Idle Talk did the rest as the seven-year-old battled to a hard-fought victory in muddy conditions at Exeter.
Forced to miss planned appearances at Lingfield, where the meeting was abandoned due to frost, and then at Sandown, when the going was too quick in places, the 4-1 chance came into the Hatch Marquee Hire Novices’ Chase without a run for two months.
And that rustiness may have showed in the closing stages as he had to be driven out to get the better of Reflected Glory by two and a half lengths.
Favourite Lough Derg, who failed to jump with any fluency after making an early error and slipping at the seventh fence, kept on to finish a length further away in third.
George said: “He had a hard race today but he can have a month off now.
“I wanted to run him at Sandown in the Feltham but the ground was just too quick for him down the far side and I wouldn’t take the chance – I’m pleased I didn’t now.
“He wants cut in the ground and one day he is going to be a lovely staying chaser, maybe he’ll win one of those nice three-mile races at Haydock. I might even enter him for the Scottish National.”
Bet365 cut the winner from 40-1 into 25-1 for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase.
The At The Races Beginners’ Chase proved an equally informative contest, despite the early pile-ups that saw the field halved by the time they were heading out of the back straight.
The well-backed Grey Brother was all but brought down at the first and Ballez unseated Christian Williams at the sixth fence.
The race was left to be fought out by the three remaining principals and it was 7-2 chance Montgermont who came out best ahead of smart hurdlers Reveillez and Marcel, both running respectably on their chasing bows.
Montgermont was held up in the early stages but gradually picked off his rivals and quickened right away to win by 10 lengths under Mark Bradburne.
“We always thought he was a serious horse,” said trainer Lavinia Taylor of the six-year-old.
“When he is settled he is the most brilliant jumper but sometimes he can get a bit buzzy. Mark came down to jump him this morning which we hoped would settle him down a bit today and it seemed to work.
“He should stay three miles in time but he is still quite a weak horse and we wouldn’t run him over that far on this sort of ground yet. He is a relentless galloper and he’s beaten some good ones today.”
Only a £500 fine received by the Folkestone stewards for declaring her horse for that meeting as well as this one could dampen the spirits of the Taylor team.
“I wanted to run him here because I thought this would be his track but I couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t get balloted out,” Mrs Taylor explained.
“I told everyone at Weatherbys what I was doing, but two minutes before the end of declaration time I couldn’t get through to the supervisor to find out whether we had got in or not, so I panicked and entered him for Folkestone too.
“It’s a strange system where a horse who has run as well as he has in chases already this season can’t be sure of getting in a race, but now that he has won I will just have to forget about it.”
Mister Quasimodo may have found the company a little too hot to handle at Cheltenham last time out and appreciated the drop back in class when taking the opening contest.
The dual bumper winner had finished fourth to Black Jack Ketchum in a Grade Two contest at Prestbury Park, but looked much more at home in the Happy New Year “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.
Colin Tizzard’s six-year-old – a son of great staying mare Dubacilla – came home a length and three-quarters clear of The Luder to reward his supporters at 6-1.
“I don’t know what we will do now,” said Tizzard. “We might be better looking for a handicap rather than running him in another novice hurdle with a double penalty.”
The father-and-son Tizzard team completed a double in the concluding bumper when the gambled-on Leading Authority landed the spoils despite running green in the closing stages.
Sandmartin was transformed by first-time blinkers when running out a facile winner of the SIS Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
Philip Hobbs’ charge had shown very little on his previous three starts over timber, but looked revitalised in scoring by an eased-down 10 lengths.
The 16-1 chance had already built up a useful advantage when turning for home and after pinging the final flight, was nursed towards the line by Paddy Brennan to leave stablemate Gunship and Hilarious to take the minor honours.
Hobbs was represented by his wife Sarah, who said: “He’s been a bit disappointing, but the blinkers have obviously made a big difference.
“His owner, David Allen, has been very lucky with us. His best horse is probably Motorway, who had a terrible fall at Sandown over Christmas but is none the worse thankfully.”
Richard Johnson may have had to settle for second aboard for Gunship, but he went one better when taking the Thurlestone Hotel Handicap Hurdle aboard the Henry Daly-trained Down’s Folly.
Nas Na Riogh hung on to reward favourite-backers in the Thurlestone Hotel Handicap under a power-packed ride from Mick Fitzgerald.
The 7-2 chance came under pressure with two to jump and had Lucky Leader upsides over the last.
The Nicky Henderson-trained seven-year-old duly found more to see off that rival, but was all out to hold Even More, who flew up the stands rail and got within half a length at the line.
