Fighting Fifth: Epatante and Not So Sleepy share spoils after dramatic dead heat at snowy Newcastle
Epatante and Not So Sleepy finish in a dead heat in Fighting Fifth at Newcastle, with Sceau Royal in third; Aye Right wins Listed Rehearsal Chase for Harriet Graham, beating Good Boy Bobby in thrilling finish amid heavy snowstorm
Saturday 27 November 2021 16:12, UK
Defending champion Epatante and Not So Sleepy shared the spoils in a hugely dramatic renewal of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle with the judge unable to split the pair in a dead heat.
Nicky Henderson's Epatante, Hughie Morrison's Not So Sleepy and Alan King's Sceau Royal were in a three-way battle after the last flight in snowy and windy conditions at Gosforth Park.
Last year's runner-up Sceau Royal gave way as Not So Sleepy - who ran out and unseated his rider in the same contest last year - looked to have got a nose in front of the former Champion Hurdle winner, but Epatante battled back to hit the line together.
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The result went to a photo-finish and, after a short delay, the result was called a dead heat, the first in the race's history.
Sceau Royal finished a length-and-a-half back in third, with Silver Streak fourth and 11/5 shot Monmiral disappointing back in fifth.
Epatante's rider Aidan Coleman told Sky Sports Racing: "I thought we were going to go on and win but we committed a little sooner than I wanted and she just wasn't really that comfortable up the straight on the ground.
"She felt great and jumped brilliantly the whole way round. At the back of the last I just wasn't finishing as strong as I wanted to be but she's got a result out of it so I'm very happy."
Jonathan Burke, jockey of Not So Sleepy, said of the photo finish: "I really didn't know. I was hoping more than anything so we'll take the dead heat.
"As the ground worsened that probably helped my horse's chances. We went back to riding him aggressively as he likes being in the thick of it. When each horse came either side of him he really stuck his head out.
"He's really quirky but that's why we like him."
Aye Right wins Rehearsal thriller
Aye Right just held off a late challenge from Good Boy Bobby to take the Rehearsal Chase after an extremely brave front-running display under jockey Callum Bewley.
Carrying top weight, following Nuts Well's withdrawal due to travel issues, Harriet Graham's eight-year-old produced a slow leap at the final fence over the two-mile-and-seven-furlong trip looked to have given Nigel Twiston-Davies' 9/2 favourite Good Boy Bobby the chance for one final attack.
But the line came just in time for Aye Right, winning for the first time since January 2020. Dingo Dollar was a distant third ahead of Cool Mix and The Ferry Master.
A heavy snowstorm engulfed the track just before the first race but conditions failed to put off favourite Too Friendly, taking the class two Introductory Juvenile Hurdle for trainer Dan Skelton and jockey Bridget Andrews.
After some brief respite with the weather, the snow returned for race three as Paul Nicholls' exciting youngster Mr Glass continued a good day for favourite backers to take 'The French Furze' Novices' Hurdle.
The 5/6 chance travelled powerfully but had to be asked a few questions by rider Sean Bowen to put the race to bed, beating Loughderg Rocco and Marble Sands.
