Cloudy hiccup at Kelso
Cloudy Lane’s Grand National preparations were hampered as he crashed out at the first fence in the totesport.com Premier Chase at Kelso to gift Money Trix an easy success.
Noel Fehily was aboard the 2-1 shot and he did not have to work too hard to make his first ride for trainer Nicky Richards a winning one, coasting home by 26 lengths.
Richards said: “Money Trix could go for the Scottish National but there is a nice race for him at Perth (the following week) and the main thing is to teach him confidence,” said Richards.
“Not a lot of horses come back from the fall he had at Newbury. When he ran next time at Ayr, he was a bit gassy and lacking in confidence when I saddled him and really next year is going to be an important year for him.”
Cloudy Lane’s trainer Donald McCain was understandably deflated after his charge’s early departure, adding: “It is disappointing, but he has come back as bright as a button so we will take him home and see what he is like tomorrow.
“Aintree is still the plan, at least it is better it happened here than at Aintree.
“This seemed the right race to go for. It was just the right time before the big one but there were a few things happening on the inside and I wonder if he just lost his concentration.”
Knockara Beau (6-1) ran out an impressive winner of the Grade Two totepool Premier Kelso Hurdle in the hands of Jan Faltejsek.
Trainer George Charlton was winning the race for the second time in three seasons after Bywell Beau took the prize in 2007.
“He is in the Ballymore Properties Hurdle at Cheltenham but I think Aintree would suit him better. He won his bumper there and we are a bit close to Cheltenham anyway,” said Charlton.
“He is a very, very good horse and I thought he would win, but not in the way he did.
“We had Tidal Bay so we know what is a good horse, but he is a two-miler while this one is a three-miler.”
Fehily had earlier initiated a double when gaining his first success at the course on Peter Monteith’s Cantgeton (11-4), who just held the late flourish of Frith by a short-head in the Meadowhead Parks Handicap Chase.
Monteith said: “That is the first time Noel has ridden for me and he gave the horse an enterprising ride.”
Fehily, making his second visit to the Borders course, added: “The first time I came here was over five years ago, it was an evening meeting and I was beaten a short-head on one of my rides.”
However, Frith’s partner Alex Voy was suspended for four days (March 14-17) for using his whip with excessive frequency.
Owner Ray Scholey is keeping his fingers crossed that Camden George gets a run at Cheltenham after watching him make all the running to win the Cyril Alexander Memorial HBLB Novices’ Chase in good style under Henry Oliver.
The 7-4 favourite is trained by Sue Smith for Scholey, who said: “He deserved that as he had never been out of the frame this season.
“He jumped well for a novice and the plan now is to run him in the Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase at the Festival, if he gets in.”
Smith and Oliver later completed a double when Description (7-2 favourite) won the concluding Paul’s Original Sandwich Handicap Hurdle.
Lucinda Russell’s 28-1 chance Livvy Inn stunned most punters when he ran away with the Extr-Ordin-Air Novices’ Hurdle in the hands of conditional Campbell Gillies.
“Campbell was moaning this morning, he reckoned he was riding a horse which wasn’t race-fit and I must admit Livvy Inn must be fitter than I thought he was!” said Russell.
The Reverend (100-30) strolled home by 25 lengths in the hands of Lucy Horner to win the Ship Inn, Dalkeith Open Hunters Chase.
Horner was suspended for three days, however, after the stewards found her guilty of misusing her whip.
John Dawson was banned for four days for the same offence aboard third-placed Nocatee.
