Motion clearly in good heart
A clever piece of placing by Charlie Mann saw Clearly In Motion achieve a second victory in two days at Plumpton.
It was certainly not as easy as he had it at Southwell on Sunday, with rider Kevin Tobin soon hard at work on the 8-13 favourite in the Blackmore Borley Novices’ Handicap Chase.
However, the 10lb claimer’s perseverance slowly paid off – rewarding a few punters who backed him in-running at around 100-1 on the betting exchanges – as he pulled back into contention at the last and eventually saw off Pan The Man, Running Hot and Carpet Ride by four lengths.
Mann’s representative Chrissy Barnard said: “It was a risk running again and not something we would normally do but he loves firm ground and hardly had a race at the weekend.
“I should think he will have a couple of weeks off now.”
Lester Leaps In had earlier delighted trainer Nicky Henderson after breaking his duck in the Play Monopoly At skybetvegas.com Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle.
Although a little slow at one or two early flights, the 11-8 favourite bowled along for Mick Fitzgerald and although challenged strongly by Cantabilly in the final straight, he pulled away again to score by half a length.
“He jumped like a bird and I have seen many worse four-year-old hurdlers,” said Henderson.
“We’ll keep him going – there are one or two nice little handicaps coming up.”
There were a host of non-runners in the last three races because of the fast ground while several unsavoury incidents punctuated the glorious weather.
There was one of the latter in the Joe The Cap From Carshalton Memorial Novices’ Hurdle, which went to Gabier for Gary and Jamie Moore.
The 5-6 favourite had already hit the front before the last but his two rivals alongside, Rosita Bay and Private Garcia, both went wrong and were quickly pulled up and dismounted.
Left a mile clear, he strolled home by 25 lengths.
Gary Moore said: “It was handed to him on a plate, although I would like to think he would have won anyway. He might go back to the Flat now, we’ll see.”
The Bright 106.4 Selling Handicap Hurdle was secured by a shrewd James Dinment ride on Young Owen (8-1), who hastily stole a big lead and came away by 19 lengths.
Secam lost fourth place after Mattie Batchelor failed to weigh in and was given a three-day ban (April 7-9), while Crusset was another to injure himself and had to be attended to in front of the stands.
Tommy Carson (6-1), trained locally by Suzy Smith and ridden by Colin Bolger, brought the house down with his sixth Plumpton victory in the Stuart Furness Memorial Handicap Chase, pipping Full On by a neck close home.
The same trainer and jockey combined in the skybetvegas.com Casino Maiden Open National Hunt Flat Race as Aimigayle (8-1) just outlasted another newcomer Ten Pound Pom.
The Experience The Thrills of skybetvegas.com Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle went to Brochrua (7-1), making his debut for Alex Hales and was a tidy seven-length victor over Saddlers Cloth under Byron Moorcroft.
