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Late winner adds spice to Warwick meeting




ALWAYS racing in the first two, Leader In The Park lived up to his name when taking the £15,000 racingtv.com/freetrial Novices' Limited Handicap Chase, feature race of Warwick's bumper eight-race card on Monday, reports David Hucker.

Having seen off the challenge of Southoftheborder by the penultimate fence, Leader In The Park looked to have sealed victory with a good leap at the last, but his lead had dwindled to just half a length at the winning post as Classic Anthem relentlessly gained ground. Winning rider Ben Jones said his mount “got a little bit tired and idled” on the run-in, but Leader In The Park held on to win his second race in a row and is part of a good crop of novice chasers in trainer Ben Pauling's yard.

The day got underway with the Hazelton Mountford Insurance Brokers Juvenile Hurdle which went to the well-supported favourite Lavender Hill Mob. Three horses jumped the penultimate flight together but, come the last, Lavender Hill Mob, on whom Sam Twiston-Davies had kept to the inside rail all the way round, had started to assert, having four lengths to spare over Midnight Rumble at the line to give Newmarket trainer James Owen his 48th winner of the season.

Leader In The Park jumps the last fence on the way to victory in Warwick's feature race. Photo: David Pratt
Leader In The Park jumps the last fence on the way to victory in Warwick's feature race. Photo: David Pratt

Despite drifting from 1/2 to 8/11, course winner That's Nice, ridden by Nico de Boinville, overcame a bad mistake at the second flight to land the first division of the Watch Racing TV Free For 31 Days Mares' Novices' Hurdle and I Am The Moon made all the running to win the second. I Am The Moon had displaced Mistress Emma at the head of the betting late on, and with her rival making a bad mistake when challenging at the final flight, ran out a comfortable winner to give Twiston-Davies a double.

With four winning favourites in a row, punters were looking to course winner Land Genie, trained by Dan Skelton, to continue the run in the Love Warwick Chamber Of Trade Handicap Hurdle. Racing from an 8lb higher handicap mark than when winning on New Year's Eve, Land Genie could do no better than fourth as 7/1 shot Ikarak added to his November Warwick win for Wilmcote trainer Olly Murphy, holding off hat-trick seeking Jalisco Star by a neck to bring up jockey Sean Bowen's 123rd winner of the season, putting him nine ahead of Harry Skelton.

Three horses dominated the betting for the Racing TV Free Trial Now Novices' Limited Handicap Hurdle and it was previous course winner Ideallko, sent off the 3/1 favourite, who came out on top, just getting the better of 10/1 shot Moor End in another close finish. The runner-up had made a bold bid for victory leading up the home straight and just failed to give 12lbs to a progressive winner.

Christian Horner and Geri Halliwell (centre) after their final race win with Lift Me Up. Photo: David Pratt
Christian Horner and Geri Halliwell (centre) after their final race win with Lift Me Up. Photo: David Pratt

Zero Tolerance jumped well and set a strong pace in the long-distance Lewis Badges 1832 Handicap Chase, but he was a spent force over the last two fences as Always Busy became another winning favourite, scoring by ten lengths from Isle Of Gold for trainer Christian Williams and jockey Jack Tudor who had combined to win over fences at Windsor the day before.

Owners Christian Horner and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell had their first winner under Rules when Jack Andrews sent Lift Me Up clear to take the closing Willoughby De Broke Open Hunters' Chase.



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