Towcester review Alan King saddles double Wednesday February 17

Alan King bolstered his good record at Towcester after completing a first- and last-race double courtesy of victories for two more of his up-and-coming young prospects.

Boasting a 29 per cent strike at the Northamptonshire track heading into the meeting, the Barbury Castle Stables handler started the day of in fine fashion thanks to a win for William H Bonney in the opening division of the Haygain Hay Steamers Clean Forage Novices' Hurdle.

Although forced to work hard to land the two-mile prize hard the 1/4 favourite eventually mastered Chic Theatre by a length and three-quarters, to supply the first leg of a double for King and winning rider Richard Johnson.

King said: "If you watched him all the way up the run-in he has got his ears pricked. He does go in the soft ground, but Richard Johnson said not in ground like that.

"It was a good experience for him today and I'm sure he will improve again when he gets better going."

He added: "I would like to have a season handicap hurdling with him. He will make a chaser, but there is no rush to do it. There could be a decent race in him come the spring. I don't suppose he will be ready for Cheltenham."

Debutant Laser Light (4/6) rewarded King for taking a patient approach when completing his double with an impressive seven-length success in the Haygain Hay Steamers Clean Healthy Forage Standard Open National Hunt Flat.

King said: "He is a nice type of horse. I was going to go hurdling with him, but I just thought it would probably be too much this late in the season.

"I don't know where he will go after this, but he will certainly have one, if not two, more runs. He is straightforward and we not afraid of sit upsides and make the running."

While trainer Tom Lacey compared Kelsey to the Tin Man from The Wizard Of Oz, there was no questioning his heart when showing plenty of fight in the Sky Bet Cheltenham Preview Here March 7th Handicap Hurdle.

Coming from another county in the two-mile-three-furlong contest the 6/1 shot stayed on in game fashion to grind out a 12-length victory and complete the double on the day for champion jockey-elect Johnson.

Lacey said: "He is like the Tin Man out of The Wizard Of Oz. He is a complete coward and just melts on the track.

"You don't see the same horse at home as on the track as at home he does well, making you think he is a nice horse.

"He had a nasty fall as a four-year-old before he went on the schooling grounds and I don't think he has forgotten that. We will stick to hurdling a little bit longer."

Barry Leavy saw his back-up plan for Georgian Firebird (11/1) come to fruition in the second division of the Haygain Hay Steamers Clean Healthy Forage Novices' Hurdle.

After failing to complete when still in contention at Uttoxeter last time out, the six-year-old made amends when ploughing through the testing conditions for a two-and-three-quarter-length win.

Leavy said: "I don't know what she would have done at Uttoxeter last time as she was the only one travelling..

"We were going to go back to Uttoxeter on Saturday, but that was off and this was the next novice hurdle. This was the back-up plan as we thought Towcester would suit her."

Streets Of Promise (8/1) showed her appetite for a thorough stamina test when making virtually all in the Haygain Hay Steamers Clean Healthy Forage Mares' Handicap Hurdle.

Although boasting indifferent form figures the seven-year-old stayed on when her rivals had cried enough for an eight-length victory on her return to hurdles.

Bredon Hill Lad (5/2) benefited from a drop down in trip when seeing out the two and half miles best of them all in the Haygain Hay Steamers Clean Healthy Forage Handicap Chase for trainer Sue Gardner under her daughter, Lucy.

Emma Soda (11/2) handed trainer Paul Davies his first winner at the course when taking the Jim Dimmock 50 Years In Racing Memorial Handicap Chase.