Friday 16 February 2018 17:06, UK
Tara Bridge put in a tenacious display from the front to claim the "Ubique" Handicap Chase at Sandown.
Despite being pressed throughout the extended one-mile-seven-furlong contest by top weight Movie Legend, the 10-year-old found plenty for pressure under Tom Cannon to repel the Lucy Wadham-trained challenger by three and a half lengths.
Winning trainer Chris Gordon said of the 11-8 scorer, who was backing up a recent success at Lingfield: "Bridger (Champion, owner) bred the horse. He wants to put him out in a field all the time and I want him in training!
"That's only his 16th race, but he has been a very sound horse. He (Champion) has been the most patient guy I know and it has paid off.
"As long as he don't try and chuck him in a field in the next couple of days we will have some fun with him."
Notre Ami (9-2) set up a return to the Esher track next month after going one better than on his previous two starts with victory in the Smarkets "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle. Having been out of luck in five previous attempts over hurdles, the Nick Gifford-trained seven-year-old put the record straight in the two-mile contest when digging deep to floor odds-on favourite Et Moi Alors by two and three-quarter lengths. Gifford said: "It has taken a long time for the penny to drop. Today was the most polished he has jumped, but it was still not perfect. "Leighton Aspell said going down the back it was not that bad and he liked it. Hopefully now we can have a bit more fun in the spring. "He has always been this size since we purchased him. I bought him as a big, gangly three-year-old but the engine is there. "We will probably come back for the EBF Final, as that is the obvious race for him." Tanit River ended a recent spell in the doldrums as he showed his true colours in the Smarkets Handicap Chase. Having hinted at a revival at Newbury for a long way last time out, the Tim Vaughan-trained eight-year-old built on that display to claim his first win in more than a year, defeating Aubusson by three lengths. Vaughan said of the 16-1 winner: "That is just what the doctor ordered. To be fair he has always been a nice horse on his day. He was very good at Chepstow last year when he won. He went up in the weights and it never happened for him after that. "If you watch the Newbury race he showed his old sparkle and travelled well. He just got a bit tired. To be brutally honest, I was reasonably confident he would run a big race today if he handled the fences down the back straight. "I think he is a Welsh National-type of horse if he keeps going up in the weights." The David Dennis-trained Broken Quest defied a penalty to bring up a hat-trick in the Smarkets Novices' Handicap Hurdle. A winner at Huntingdon and Kempton already this season, the six-year-old has really got the hang of things of late. The 5-4 favourite took up the running at the second-last under Sean Houlihan, but Barry Geraghty had yet to make his move on Herewego Herwego. Alan King's charge, however, just seemed to hang fire when push came to shove and Broken Quest held him off by three-quarters of a length. Dennis said: "That was perfect and a relief as obviously running back so soon is a bit of a concern, but my arm was twisted as he was due to go up 18lb so I had no choice really. "I don't know whether the 7lb claim has made a difference, but it might have done on that ground - he gave him a good ride anyway. "He's had three runs in three weeks now and I won't be rushing him back, he won't run for a couple of weeks at least. "The soft at Kempton was hard work and it was again today. I'm very pleased and hope he keeps on progressing." The victory made it a good day for Houlihan, who won the opening race on the card with 25-1 chance Briac for Mark Pattinson.
