Aug 31, 2024

Race Report: Saturday 31 August 2024

There was a big crowd at Newton Abbot to see Lallygag comfortably land the feature £25,000 Aubrey Loze Memorial Handicap Hurdle, completing a double on the afternoon for trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Freddie Gingell.

It was Lallygag, who had Tronador a long way behind him when winning at Worcester last time, who was the punters’ choice at 13/8, ahead of Way Out, who was looking for his first win since scoring over the course nearly a year ago. With two flights to jump, Lallygag had only Cartmel winner Tommie Beau to contend with, but powered clear to win by seven lengths, with course specialist Clearance, who was stepping up in distance, running on to be third.

The Nicholls-trained Brave Knight was a red-hot 2/5 favourite to take the opening Newton Abbot Racecourse On Facebook Novices’ Hurdle, although there was support for second-favourite Dodger Long, beaten a short head on his last run. Gingell set out to make all the running on Brave Knight, but had Dodger Long for company turning for home. He put in the slightly quicker jump at the final flight, holding on by a neck on the short run-in to complete a hat-trick of hurdle wins this summer.

Just four lined up for the Racing Partnership Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase and it was Get Sky High, twice a winner at Warwick in May and successful in her sole point-to-point outing in Ireland, who headed the market. Second favourite was top-weight Carrigeen Kampala, three times a course winner over hurdles, but a third flight faller last time.

Neither was to feature in the finish as, with Carrigeen Kampala falling at the first fence and Get Sky High a spent force in the home straight, the race went to Hidalgo de L’Isle, trained by Donald McCain in Cheshire, who came from the back to beat front-running Silent Revolution, whose cause wasn’t helped by a bad blunder at the fourth-last fence, by 14 lengths.

Joint top-weight Tonto Foley, a winner of three of his six chases, was backed from 13/2 to 5/1 to land the Visit attheraces.com Handicap Chase, but it was Beat Box, also carrying 12-0, who was sent off the 9/4 favourite to follow up his Market Rasen success.

The pace was set by the blinkered Bensini, tracked by Tonto Foley and Beat Box, but the complexion of the race changed at the last open ditch where Harry Skelton sent Beat Box into the lead. With Tonto Foley dropping out of contention turning into the straight, it was Mordred who came to challenge Beat Box, but he had enough in reserve to win, bringing up trainer Dan Skelton’s 45th winner of the season.

Kauto The King had finished second behind Glynn over the course last time out, but went one better when landing his first win in a year in the William Hill Leading Racecourse Bookmaker Handicap Chase, beating Bagheera Ginge by a neck.

Taylor Fisher, who had ridden in two races on the flat the day before, got off the mark over hurdles on his very first ride when Daany went clear between the last two flights to follow up his Uttoxeter win in the closing newtonabbotracing.com Handicap Hurdle.