May 15, 2025

Race report: Wednesday 14 May 2025

David Hucker
Racing correspondent

West country trainers Paul Nicholls and Joe Tizzard continued their good starts to the new jumps season, both landing a Newton Abbot double on an afternoon that had plenty of excitement to keep the crowd entertained.

With four absentees, just three were left to contest the opening Classic Car Show On 7th June Novices’ Hurdle with the Nicholls-trained Courageous Strike, who made all the running to win at Chepstow last time, a red-hot favourite to follow up. He touched 1/12 in the betting before easing slightly to 1/8 and had no problem in seeing off his two opponents, again leading from the start to win comfortably.

Pink Eyed Pancho, who has shown improved form since the ground dried up, was backed from 4/1 into 5/2 favourite to follow up his Taunton win in the Terry Wheeler Birthday Novices’ Handicap Hurdle. Another to shorten in price was Stratford winner Get The Value, in from 6/1 to 9/2, and it was his supporters who collected as he took the lead from outsider Stinginhisstep at the third-last fight and, despite making a mistake at the next, was just too good for his rivals, winning by 4¾ lengths.

There was close betting between four of the five runners in the Racing Welfare Supporting Mental Health Awareness Handicap Chase over three and a quarter miles with Unspeakable edging favouritism over Hold Your Fort. They couldn’t match Belgarum, however, who went past Hold Your Fort at the penultimate fence and put the race to bed with a good leap at the last to give champion conditional jockey Freddie Gingell his second winner of the season, both for trainer Joe Tizzard.

Tizzard was looking for a double in the following Autism In Racing Here 28th May Handicap Hurdle with American Land, who had benefitted from wind surgery when winning at Taunton last time. American Land took the lead at the second-last flight and, although wandering around a bit approaching the last, held the challenge of Moutarde by a neck.

The consistent Opening Bid, six times a winner over fences including twice over the course, gave Cullompton trainer Chris Down his first winner of the season in the Coast And Country Estate Agents Handicap Chase. Three had come to the penultimate fence in a line, but Time To Bite fell, leaving Opening Bid and Somespring Special to fight out the finish with a good jump at the final fence sealing the race for Opening Bid.

There was another good finish in the Totnes And Bridgetown Steeplechase Company Open Hunters’ Chase as three jumped the final fence together with Knockmoylan just shading the lead. He was overhauled on the run-in, however, as Montanna, who hadn’t won for over a year, stormed clear to beat Gateau De Miel.

Nicholls ended the meeting as he had started when Takeonedayatatime, third on her debut at Wincanton last October, took the closing St. Austell Brewery Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race from newcomer False Flag.