Jun 12, 2026

Race Report: Friday 12th 2026

David Hucker
Racing correspondent

Rickety Bridge, trained by Paul Nicholls, completed a hat-trick of wins over the course when taking Newton Abbot’s feature £15,000 St. Austell Brewery Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.

Freddie Gingell bided his time as Court In A Storm set a good pace over the three and a quarter mile trip before easing Rickety Bridge into the lead approaching the penultimate fence. He quickly opened up a gap to beat Dexperts Opinion, who had run and jumped well on his British chasing debut, by 8½ lengths and bring up his trainer’s eighth winner of the season.

Lady Kara, a winner at the last meeting, completed a hat-trick in the opening Alzheimer’s Society Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle over two miles and one furlong, regaining the lead on the run-in after being headed coming out of the back straight. Dual Irish point-to-point winner Colegram and Dancing Dame looked to have the race between them jumping the penultimate flight, but Lady Kara battled back to defy her double penalty, beating the strong finishing Likewhatyousee with Colegram back in third.

There was a stirring finish to the long-distance William Hill Handicap Hurdle with Bits Ballou, who took up the running on the final circuit, just run out of it by Jack’s Jury. The winner had unseated his rider at the fourth flight last time, but had run creditably the race before and, taking up the running after the second-last flight, became the second winner of the season for Carmarthenshire trainer Barry John Murphy.

Ask Peter tried to make all the running in the Olympus Plant & Tool Hire Handicap Hurdle, but was tackled on the run-in by Coup De Gold who was brought with a well-timed run by Eleanor Williams to win by a neck.

Morning Mayhem was a wide-margin winner at the last meeting and had been raised 10lbs as a result, so looked well-in carrying a 7lb penalty in the execontainers.com Handicap Hurdle. Held up this time, Morning Mayhem had every chance turning for home, but finished last of the four runners as Isabelle Ryder brought Donnie Azoff from the back to pounce close home and beat Dream Diamond by ¾ length.

Although without a runner in the feature race, champion trainer Dan Skelton continues to clock up the winners as he looks to set a new training record. Last season, which ended in April, Skelton set a record for prize money won, being the first trainer to top £5m and, this season, he is aiming to beat the long-standing record of Martin Pipe who sent out 243 winners in 1999/2000.

The nearest he has come was in 2018/19 when he sent out 205 winners and, to break the record, Skelton needs to average just over 20 winners a month. Having reached 24 in May, he was already into double figures for June and he added another when Beorma followed up her wins at Southwell and Worcester this week to take the Sun Racing The Favourite Pullout Every Day Handicap Chase, beating sole rival First Angel by 23 lengths.

That win took Skelton to 37 for the season and he won the last race as well with newcomer Park Hall, his choice from three entries, who won the closing Racing To School Reaches 25 Years Open National Hunt Flat Race with some ease.