Sanders keeping the dream alive

Seb Sanders kept up the momentum in his bid for a first jockeys’ championship as he bagged a treble at sun-baked Chepstow.

The hat-trick took him to 129 winners for the season and within two of title leader Jamie Spencer, who suffered an unfortunate afternoon at Newbury where he was forced to give up his last two rides of the day after hurting his back.

Sanders’ wins came in the first three races on the card, starting with Trenchtown in the betdirect.com Maiden Auction Stakes.

The Roger Charlton-trained two-year-old was sent off the 4-11 favourite and had two lengths to spare over No To Trident.

“He’s a nice type of horse and even though he looked lazy, the pace of the race was a little on the slow side early doors and when he got on top I was quite impressed with him,” Sanders told At The Races.

“He went about his job nicely in the end.”

Win number two came courtesy of 9-4 favourite Noora for Clive Cox in the betdirect Get Involved Claiming Stakes.

Sanders said: “She didn’t jump the gate great and didn’t find her stride very quickly.

“I had to put her on her mettle and fortunately I tagged on to the back of them and it worked out quite nicely.

“They went a decent gallop and gave me time to get back in the race and in the end I got there soon enough.”

The good work continued with Spunger (7-1) in the betdirectpoker.com Handicap as the Harry Dunlop-trained four-year-old got the better of Red Current by a length and a quarter.

Sanders said: “It all happened a bit soon for her up the straight.

“She was probably going too well at the two and I had to move a bit sooner than I wanted, but on those types of horse you are better getting a couple of lengths and fighting them off than trying to sit and sit and eventually find nothing.”

He added of his gruelling battle with former champion Spencer: “I don’t want sympathy, just a bit of understanding from time to time! There’s a lot of travelling, but I think to myself ’what else would I be doing?’.

“We’re in a lucky situation to be doing something we really enjoy.”