Turpin comes good at Haydock despite scare

Turpin Green got back to winning ways in the Edward Hanmer Memorial Graduation Chase at Haydock – but it was a race not without incident.

Nicky Richards’ chaser, who finished an admirable third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last season, looked to have a relatively easy task on paper.

However, the eight-year-old has garnered a reputation as not being the most straightforward of horses and this was another example of his quirks.

He was never travelling with any fluency until the final half-mile of the two-mile-five-furlong trip as his only two rivals, Labelthou and Dictum, left him seemingly toiling in their wake.

Tony Dobbin had been hard at work on the even-money favourite for a long way but it was not until he turned into the home straight that he got a response.

The two leaders now appeared to be running on empty in the heavy ground and as Labelthou took a crashing fall, Turpin Green joined Dictum before powering clear. Dictum refused at the last.

“He hated that ground and he never seems to travel past the stands or the stables here,” said Dobbin of the Trevor Hemmings-owned maverick.

“But I knew the others had gone quick and he finished full of running.”

Richards was as perplexed as everyone else.

He said: “He’s a funny old horse. He won very easy in the end but he hated that ground.

“He has run three times here now though and they have all been middling sorts of races, neither very good nor very bad.

“He wants three miles and will definitely be aimed at the Gold Cup again with probably one run beforehand, he must be fresh. The old Pillar Chase (Cotswold) at Cheltenham (January 26) could be next.”

Labelthou was down for a long while but eventually got up to cheers from the crowd.

Her trainer Emma Lavelle said: “She hadn’t jumped any of the ditches well, so Timmy (Murphy) said he just asked her for a big one but she put down. She’s fine though which is the main thing.”

At least Lavelle had the comfort of a winner with Folie Dancer (2-1) in the EBF Bank Of Scotland Corporate “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle, also ridden by Murphy.

“She’s a nice filly, but very weak,” said Lavelle

Huka Lodge proved an old adage still rings true with his third win at the track in The Last Fling Chase for Kate Walton.

The 10-year-old outstayed Nigel Twiston-Davies’ The Gangerman under Richard McGrath in a prolonged duel up the straight to win by a short head at 7-1.

“He loves this place,” said Walton. “That’s his third win so it proves that horses for courses still works.

“He loves it when it is barely raceable. He might run at Carlisle next.”

Malko De Beaumont (8-1) gave Charlie Longsdon his 10th winner of 2007, the target he set himself at the start of the year.

Formerly with Kim Bailey, the seven-year-old appreciated the return to hurdles and first-time blinkers to win the Sports 360 Supports St Mary’s Langho Handicap Hurdle.

It is no surprise Longsdon is making a name for himself as he used to be assistant trainer to Nicky Henderson.

Just For Men took Martin Todhunter off the cold trainers list when winning the R Draper Ltd Novices’ Handicap Chase easily at 13-2.

Brian Harding took a wide course throughout and it paid dividends as his rivals were toiling a long way out.

“It’s nice to get off that list, it might say 39 days but it felt like 78!” said Todhunter.

“Brian walked the course before racing and said the ground was much better on the outside, so he deserves a lot of the credit.”

Hemmings got a double when the Sue Smith-trained Coe won the finale, the Red Square Vodka “Fixed Brush” Novices Hurdle as the 6-5 favourite.