Vaughan salutes Little big horse
Little Shilling has proved a big hit with punters and the money-spinner landed his fifth race inside 15 days in the Cenkos Won Cricket Again Handicap Chase at Plumpton.
In a sequence more often associated with Mark Prescott on the level, Little Shilling has been given a new lease of life since moving to Tim Vaughan’s yard and the six-year-old completed a short-priced double for the rising star of the training ranks.
Having registered four quick wins over hurdles, the 5-4 favourite had his attentions switched to fences and laughed at the opposition by coming home some 20 lengths clear.
Vaughan said: “I got him from the Doncaster Sales. He won first time out at Fakenham and has just kept improving.
“He went on to win again at Ludlow and improved again for that run.
“I was exceptionally nervous today as it was going to be his fifth race in quick succession, but with the way the handicap system works I had to run him again.
“I had never schooled him over fences myself, but he had run over them before joining me.”
Burgess Hill is another to be transformed by Vaughan with the Irish import breaking his duck as the
3-1 favourite in the Cenkos Edinburgh Handicap Hurdle.
The six-year-old had shown very little in seven starts in Ireland, but a year off and a move to South Wales has rejuvenated him.
Richard Johnson partnered Burgess Hill to be fourth at Newcastle last time, and the partnership went three places better with a two-and-a-quarter-length victory.
Vaughan, fresh from welcoming back his first winner at the track, said: “I got him about three months ago and we did a bit of work on his back as he had a few niggly problems.
“First time out at Newcastle I hoped he would be in the first three or four, and he was.
“He has schooled over fences and is electric so will go three-mile chasing later this season.”
The Hardy Boy (8-1) clocked up his fifth win at the East Sussex circuit, which trainer Anna Newton-Smith emotionally dedicated to her former vet who died recently.
She said: “I want to dedicate this win at my late vet Nick Wills, who looked after us so well.
“Hardy just loves jumping fences here at Plumpton. It is a tight track and he is a handy horse.
“He’ll have a short holiday now, and I’ll try and bring him back for the next meeting here on January 4.”
Sovereign King is Margaret Bodycote’s sole horse in training, and Alan King’s six-year-old registered a first win over fences as the 8-11 favourite in the Cenkos Securities Beginners’ Chase.
Postmaster (5-1) delivered the goods dropped back in trip in the Cenkos Fund Managers Novices’ Hurdle, while rookie trainer George Baker enjoyed his 21st winner of 2008 as 10-11 favourite Albany took the Cenkos Jersey Claiming Hurdle.
The closing Cenkos Tokenhouse Yard Intermediate Open National Hunt Flat Race fell to 25-1 outsider Sherwani Wolf, with race sponsor Andy Stewart’s 2-1 favourite Bobby On The Beat failing to make the frame.
