Hillview eases to third win within a month after handicap hurdle success at Stratford

HILLVIEW provided the most facile victory of the day yesterday, Sunday, in recording his fourth win of the campaign, and third within a month, in Stratford’s Savage & Stride Wedding Celebration Handicap Hurdle.

The Irish-bred gelding, a winner previously at Bangor and Southwell (twice), notched up a 31st winner of the term for Cheshire handler Gary Hanmer, and there won’t have been many easier.

By contrast, the winner of the opener, Kinondu Kwetu, had to work rather harder to assert over long time leader Starsky from the powerful Skelton yard.

The false pace of a three-runner field made the race a sprint from the last, where the Sam England-trained winner was able to apply speed to overcome Starsky.

Morganstern was further confirmation of the in-form status of Somerset’s David Pipe when winning the Claudio’s 50th Birthday Novices’ Handicap Chase by two-and-a-half lengths from Arbennig.