Saturday 17 February 2018 16:44, UK
Turning Gold narrowly turned the tables on Cornerstone Lad in the Betfred TV Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle at Haydock.
Turning Gold narrowly turned the tables on Cornerstone Lad in the Betfred TV Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle at Haydock.
The pair had fought out the finish at Catterick last month, with Micky Hammond's Cornerstone Lad coming out on top on that occasion.
Nigel Twiston-Davies' Turning Gold (6-1) was 2lb better off for a length on Merseyside, but it still did not look like it was going to be enough for most of the run in.
As the shadow of the post got nearer, Sam Twiston-Davies just managed to force his mount in front on the line to win by a nose, with the favourite Lisp back in third after making a bad blunder at the second-last.
Richard Bovis is head lad to Twiston-Davies and the winner is owned by a group of his friends.
"I'm delighted. Last time out at Doncaster the ground was just too quick for him, he has to have it soft," said Bovis.
"He may get an entry in the Fred Winter, but we'd only think about running if it was soft.
"Today was his Gold Cup."
Donna's Diamond provided Chris Grant and jockey Callum Bewley with the biggest winner of their careers when gamely holding off the odds-on favourite Agrapart in the Betfred Rendlesham Hurdle.
The grey had returned from a lengthy lay-off with a course and distance win last month but that was in a handicap off a lowly mark of 129.
Put into Grade Two company he was taking on a real standing dish in these types of races in Agrapart, but Lizzie Kelly was sending out distress signals going down the back straight.
To his credit Agrapart kept himself in contention but when Boite fell early in the straight the race changed in complexion and it became a question of whether Donna's Diamond could keep going.
Backed from 14-1 into 7-1, Donna's Diamond did maintain the gallop to win by two and a quarter lengths from the favourite, producing a career-best effort at the age of nine.
Grant said: "When David Armstrong (owner) said he wanted to come to Haydock I thought he meant for the handicap!"
Armstrong said: "The form of his last win has stood up and there was no fluke about it, I'm absolutely delighted.
"He had a big chip taken out of his knee which is why he was off a year and the vet did a great job.
"We've got to go over fences with him yet, but he's got the victory he deserved. He loves it here and deep ground suits."
As if finishing second was not bad enough for Kelly, she was also hit with a nine-day ban for using her whip above the permitted level from approaching the second-last hurdle. She will be out of action on March 3-11 inclusive. Chef Des Obeaux took his tally to three from four over timber in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. Nicky Henderson's six-year-old only has one defeat this season and that came at the hands of smart stablemate Santini at Newbury. Golan Fortune looked like making a race of it in the straight, but he walked through the second-last, losing all chance, meaning Noel Fehily could bide his time thereafter. Uppertown Prince made late headway to claim second. Fehily said: "He stays well, he's progressing very well and maturing with each run. "He has a tendency to jump out of my hands and was having a look round late on. "He stays well so the Albert Bartlett would look his race." Betfred cut him to 10-1 from 14-1 for that race next month.
