Tobin poised to hang up his boots
Kevin Tobin will shortly call time on his riding career to start a very different profession but was able to savour the winning feeling at least one more time at Folkestone.
Tobin failed to get enough momentum despite taking the ’hands and heels’ series last season but was sent off with a ringing endorsement from trainer Charlie Mann.
He was riding Mr Big (11-4 favourite) for Mann in the NKF Seymour & Plumbing Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Chase and the combination pulled out the most at the finish of an attritional contest.
“The plan is to finish at Plumpton a week on Monday, then I am going to educate myself in America and take a course on addiction counselling,” said Tobin.
“In the end I just decided I wasn’t going to be best used at this game.”
Mann added: “He’s a super lad but like a lot of young fellows, he has accepted he is not going to make it.
“His father is very successful in the rehabilitation profession and we wish him well.”
Mann’s classy Air Force One took the S G Fencing Tel: 01303 862517 Beginners’ Chase a year ago, which leaves the 2009 winner a lot to live up to.
The Lambourn trainer’s Fair Point put in a good show in what may have been a decent heat, but Hennessy (4-1) had his measure by two and a quarter lengths.
Owner Malcolm Denmark reported: “A lot of the horses have not been running well so we took our time with him.
“I expect he will run again in three weeks and we hope he could make a nice long-distance handicap chaser – maybe a Scottish National horse one day.”
Aux Le Bahnn (evens favourite) is set for Graded level following a simple victory in the Nigel Collison Fuels Novices’ Hurdle.
“He might go for the River Don at Doncaster now,” said trainer Noel Chance.
“I heard Diamond Harry is going to Cheltenham at the end of this month and I don’t want to be running against him now.
“We expected him to do that as he was 20lb ahead of the field.”
Gary Moore regularly upsets runners from more fashionable stables and it was the turn of his son Jamie and Fix The Rib (11-2) to outpoint Quartano and Padalko in the Hamlet Oak Framed Buildings Maiden Chase.
Tom Siddall maintained his composure aboard Ruby Crown (7-4 favourite) despite traffic problems in the Hobbs Parker Telecom Mares’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
Heir To Be (5-4 favourite) landed a gamble in an unsatisfactory marquees@alexanderball.co.uk Selling Handicap Hurdle, with Jim Best’s Mount Benger (3-1 favourite) streaking 20 lengths away in the frogpool.com Handicap Hurdle.
