Jun 13, 2025

Race report: Friday 13 June 2025

David Hucker
Racing correspondent

Ditcheat trainer Paul Nicholls was in double-winning form at Newton Abbot’s first evening meeting of the season, scoring with Seeyouinmydreams in the opener and Centara in the most valuable race on the card.

Although there were just two runners, the opening Country Show On 9th August Mares’ Handicap Hurdle looked a close call on paper and there was little to choose between them in the betting with Seeyouinmydreams just returned favourite at 5/6 over Arclight who was sent off at 10/11.

After both horses had raced together for the first circuit, Harry Cobden sent Seeyouinmydreams into the lead and she jumped the final hurdle well clear, extending her advantage at the line to 22 lengths to record her fifth success.

Jay Tidball was looking over his shoulder for dangers as Centara jumped the penultimate fence in front in the evening’s most valuable race, the £20,000 PKF Francis Clark Summer Social Handicap Chase, but there were none as this wide-margin Hereford winner followed up in style much to the delight of the crowd.

Hat-trick seeking Belle Le Grand had to give weight away to all her rivals in the Olympus Plant And Tool Hire Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle. Her task was made easier when Amber Waves was withdrawn because off the rain-softened ground, and, in her absence, Belle Le Grand’s biggest challenger looked to be stable companion Claim Du Brizais.

Belle Le Grand had followed up her Warwick win with a wide-margin success at Cartmel and she set out to make all the running again, There was a new configuration to the course for this meeting with only one hurdle to jump in the home straight, giving a much longer run-in than before, and it made all the difference as Claim Du Brizais, ridden by amateur Heidi Palin, wore down the hot 2/9 favourite to win by a neck in the last strides.

Three jumped the last fence together in the Class 3 Ellie French Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, but it was bottom-weight Act Of Diplomacy who scooted clear on the run-in under Shane Fenelon to beat Hugos New Horse and record his first win over fences at the eighth attempt.

Last year’s winner Hammer Dan, reappearing after a 334-day absence, just failed to follow up in the St Austell Brewery Handicap Hurdle over an extended three and a quarter miles, going down by ¾ length to Bredon Hill Dart who had jumped to the front at the final flight and ran on tenaciously for conditional jockey Ciaran O’Shea.

Sassified, a course winner last summer, was on a long losing run going into the WCT Tooling Solutions Handicap Hurdle, but he got back to winning ways, being held onto by Micheal Nolan to collar front-running Hill Station on the run-in .

All the money was for Wincanton winner Marhaba Prince in the closing Newtonabbotracing.com Open National Hunt Flat Race, but it was Three Pikes, having his first run for trainer Henry Oliver, who stepped up on his run at Chepstow last time to win.