Oct 19, 2025

Race report: Saturday 18th October 2025

David Hucker
Racing correspondent

Riskintheground, withdrawn by trainer Dan Skelton from a race at Chepstow the previous Sunday because of the quickening ground, relished Newton Abbot’s good to soft going when upsetting hot favourite Blueking d’Oroux in the feature £30,000 Paul Ferguson’s Jumpers To Follow Intermediate Chase.

Blueking d’Oroux, a five-time winner over hurdles, was sent off at 2/9 to make a winning debut over fences, whereas the experienced Riskintheground, already a winner of six chases, was a 7/1 shot. They was little between them from the start, but it was Riskintheground who came to the last fence in front and he stayed on strongly in the hands of Tristan Durrell for a ¾ length success.

Hot To Go, runner-up in his sole Irish point-to-point, was a well-backed 6/5 favourite to take the opening British Stallion Studs EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle (Qualifier) for the in-form stable of Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies. Hot To Go led from the start and was still in front turning for home, only to quickly fade out of contention as 33/1 shot Kapitein Kool beat Calvino in a close finish, with Le Soleil Reve running on late to finish third.

The longest race of the afternoon was the Weatherbys & Birdie Calendars Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Chase over three and a quarter miles and it went to the grey Of Corse I Can, who had won a similar race at Fontwell Park to break his duck over jumps. Again ridden by Bradley Harris, Of Corse I Can had led into the straight, but was passed by Esperti jumping the last fence, only to battle back on the run-in to win by 1¼ lengths.

With a £15,000 prize fund, the Wollens Full Spectrum Law Handicap Hurdle was the second-most valuable race of the afternoon and featured three last-time-out winners amongst the eight runners. None were to be involved in the finish, however, as Manuelito and Ben Jones made all the running to comfortably beat favourite Dance And Glance, whose winning chance went when he made a bad mistake at the penultimate flight.

On what was becoming a tough afternoon for favourite backers, Busy Being Busy became another beaten market leader when going down to El Capitaine in the Remembering Len & Pam Cartwright Handicap Hurdle. As usual, Stinginhisstep set out to make all the running and he was still in contention when joined by El Capitaine at the second-last flight. Harry Cobden put El Capitaine’s head in front on the run-in only for Busy Being Busy to fly home up the stands rail, failing by the minimum margin of a nose to catch the leader.

Cobden doubled up on Haas Boy, a first runner for Devon trainer Chester Williams, in the Torbay Weekly Handicap Chase. With favourite Jaitroplaclasse a faller at the penultimate fence, it was Haas Boy, now with his third trainer in three years, who came to the final fence with Authoceltic who is trained by Chester’s mother, Jane They jumped it together, but Haas Boy asserted on the run-in to score by ½ length.

The day got even better for Williams as Great Dance, ridden by Cobden, landed the closing Jodie Standing’s Point-To-Point Recruits Open National Hunt Flat Race, becoming the only winning favourite of the afternoon.