Stratford review: Red-hot John Ferguson among the winners again

The increasingly formidable trainer-jockey combination of John Ferguson and Aidan Coleman continued its excellent run of form as the high-class Maputo comfortably kept his unbeaten record over hurdles intact at Stratford.

The Bloomfields boss, currently buying yearlings in Kentucky for the Godolphin team, had saddled six winners from his previous 12 runners prior to Maputo adding to the tally in the SIS Novices' Hurdle, with Coleman riding five.

A six-time winner on the Flat for Mark Johnston before a spell with Charlie Appleby, the five-year-old returned from a 19-month absence to make a successful start to his jumping career at Perth last month and was the 8/11 favourite to follow up.

Odds-on backers had few concerns, with Maputo settling much better for Coleman than he had in Scotland, perhaps aided by the application of a hood.

He remained full of running rounding the home turn and swiftly sealed the deal when allowed to extend, coming home 18 lengths clear of early pacesetter Tangolan.

Ferguson said: "He's really pleased me today as he did everything wrong at Perth and still won, but he's done everything right and was very smooth.

"Hopefully he's a horse with a future. He's had issues in the past, so the most important thing is to keep him in one piece. The horses are running great and I'm delighted with how things are going."

Jockey Tom Scudamore enjoyed a double on the afternoon, initiated by the Stuart Kittow-trained Our Folly in the IRL Racecourses Handicap Hurdle.

Sent off the 3/1 favourite having filled the runner-up spot in Flat handicaps at Bath and Chepstow this summer, the seven-year-old showed a good attitude to get the better of Midnight Sapphire by a length and a quarter.

Kittow said: "He's been running all right on the Flat, but he just needed something different to perk him up a bit and he seems to have enjoyed jumping the hurdles today.

"It's a long time since he last ran over jumps (March 2012) and he's had a wind operation since then.

"We might mix and match it with him now. There's the two-mile jump jockeys' race at Goodwood coming up soon, so we might look at that."

Scudamore completed his brace aboard David Pipe's 9/2 favourite Spending Time in the Blooming Marvellous Christmas Fayre Handicap Hurdle.

Breezy Kin led his rivals from start to finish in the Paul Webber Stables Visit Tomorrow Novices' Handicap Chase.

Making his second start for Andy Turnell following previous stints with Ian Williams and Sean Curran, the 100/30 chance appeared to respond to the first-time blinkers on his way to a one-and-a-quarter-length win over Bob Lewis.

Turnell said: "I'm very pleased. We were a bit worried when the rain came as we weren't sure he'd handle the wetter ground, but he seemed to handle it.

"I think the blinkers helped him - he was always travelling.

"We'll just try to find something similar."

Going Nowhere Fast (6/1) landed the Stratford Racecourse Business Club Handicap Chase for trainer Bernard Llewellyn and conditional jockey Robert Williams, while former talented bumper performer Cousin Khee (11/4 favourite) made a winning return to jumping in the Bordeaux Undiscovered Handicap Hurdle under Tom O'Brien.