Sky Bet Chase: Windsor Avenue beats Storm Control to land shock Doncaster win at 40/1 for Brian Ellison
Windsor Avenue (40/1) beats Storm Control and Cap Du Nord to win dramatic Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster; Midnight Shadow suffers fatal injury in Doncaster feature; Third Time Lucki cut for Arkle after easy Lightning Novices' Chase victory
Saturday 29 January 2022 17:10, UK
Windsor Avenue produced a dramatic 40/1 shock win in a gruelling Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster for Northern-based trainer Brian Ellison.
The 10-year-old, whose last victory was back in November 2019, picked off Kerry Lee's Storm Control who ran out of steam in the final few strides on Town Moor.
Windsor Avenue, wearing blinkers for the first time, led the 16-runner field as they turned for home but had looked there for the taking and was duly passed by Storm Control as the pair reached the second last fence.
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The remaining challengers, led by Christian Williams' well-backed Cap Du Nord who had made a couple of bad jumping errors on the way round, were left well behind as Storm Control cleared the last.
But, his rider Daire McConville was sending out warning signs as a tired Storm Control slowed drastically before the line, giving Sean Quinlan on Windsor Avenue just enough time to urge his mount back in front.
Cap Du Nord came home third at odds of 15/2, ahead of Hill Sixteen in fourth. The race was marred by the loss of Paddy Power Chase winner Midnight Shadow, who suffered a fatal injury.
"He worked great in the blinkers in the week and I said to Sean, 'just make sure you get him out' - I didn't want him around horses," said Ellison. "His jumping was very slick and Sean said he almost ran away with him for two miles.
"He's class, I've always said it. When we got headed I thought we'd still run well as he'd run with the choke out. I probably should have run him in the Cotswold (Chase, at Cheltenham)!
"We've put him in the National, he couldn't run with the choke out in that mind, so we'll just have to see."
On the change in fortune recently Ellison said: "Over Christmas they were scoping badly, they were working well but not running well. They have turned a corner now, Cormier has always been a good horse so it was nice to see him win (at Cheltenham)."
Lucki aids Arkle hopes with easy Lightning success
Third Time Lucki made it look simple as he returned to winning ways in the Grade Two Lightning Novices' Chase.
Dan Skelton's seven-year-old had impressed in first two starts over fences at Cheltenham but finished a distant 16 lengths behind Edwardstone in the Grade One Henry VIII Novices' Chase last month.
Taking on just two rivals at a windy Town Moor, where 35mph winds made life difficult for the jockeys, Third Time Lucki eased forward to challenge long-time front-runner For Pleasure.
Skelton was alongside his rival as For Pleasure fell at the last - both the horse and rider Harry Bannister were up okay afterwards - leaving Third Time Lucki clear to ease down to the line.
Michael Scudamore's Do Your Job was never in contention but came home for a distant second.
Sky Bet shortened Third Time Lucki to 6/1, from 8/1, for the Arkle Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
"He's just very talented, but we slipped into a few mistakes last year," said Skelton. "Sandown last time out was always going to be a bit apprehensive for a horse like him that wants decent ground, you are only going to be 50-50 to get it.
"If you turn up at Sandown with all guns blazing and it's soft, heavy in places you end up thinking 'why didn't we go to Cheltenham three weeks ago when the ground was nice'.
"You have to take the opportunities when they are there. It wasn't an afterthought, but it wasn't Plan A. We knew going there we were stretching the band a bit.
"We gave him a break, freshened him up and this was the perfect track, perfect trip in a fast-run race and that is what he craves."
While it did seem the perfect prep at first glance, Skelton went on to reveal his horse suffered a slight setback.
"He just had a little bit of an overreach which I need to keep an eye on. It's nothing bad, just a little one, but we'll just see how that is," he said.
"I don't know if it will keep him out of Cheltenham, it's nothing bad.
"If he goes to Cheltenham, great. If he has to miss Cheltenham because of the overreach and wait for Aintree then that is fine as well. He's just magic and we're delighted to have him."
The Irish raider in the field came out on top in the Grade Two River Don Novices' Hurdle as John McConnell's Mahler Mission outbattled the Ann Duffield-trained The Real Whacker over a stamina-sapping three-mile trip.
Sky Bet reacted to the previous Sedgefield winner's success by halving his price for the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham in March from 50's to 25/1.
My Bobby Dazzler, 2/1 favourite, was well back in third ahead of Unanswered Prayers in fourth.
There was a blow for Bryony Frost in the Grade Two Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle as her mount, evens favourite Miranda, was beaten by Lucy Wadham's Miss Heritage - who Frost regularly rides when not working for Paul Nicholls.
That victory provided a double on the day for Quinlan, while the Skelton team also doubled up with Jay Jay Reilly's success in the opening race, the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Handicap Hurdle.
