Race Report - Saturday 22nd August
By David Hucker
Racing returned to Newton Abbot on Saturday after the summer break and there was another big family crowd to see 9/4 shot American Sniper land the feature £30,000 Aubrey Loze Memorial Handicap Hurdle for trainer David Pipe and jockey Rian Corcoran.
With three non-runners, the field was reduced to five with Morning Mayhem a clear favourite ahead of American Sniper. A 26-length winner over the course at the beginning of June, Morning Mayhem had been beaten twice since, although his last run when a staying-on fourth to High Fibre in a competitive race at Market Rasen looked solid form.
Top-weight Soul Icon was the 8/1 outsider of the party on his return to hurdles and was quickly taken into the lead by Hugo Hunt, tracked by American Sniper. There was nothing to choose between them jumping the final two flights, but it was American Sniper who found another gear on the run-in to win by two lengths with the favourite last of the four finishers.
With the fancied Kings Scholar and Whermyrosemarygoes both absentees, just four set out in the opening Celebrating National Racehorse Week Novices' Hurdle with Stratford winner Playful Fox sent off a hot 2/13 favourite. Jockey Harry Skelton jumped the market leader past Lundy View at the first flight and they made all the running, easing down on the run-in to beat Devon Red by 2¼ lengths.
My Girl Katie, a winner over the course last time, headed the betting for the following Happy 80th Birthday John Lane Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Chase over three and a quarter miles. Ridden by Irish jockey Alix Balfe, having his first ride in this country, she collared leader Hardy Buck at the final fence to win going away by 7 lengths and is entered at the course again on Thursday.
Four-time course winner Gore Point, trained by Anthony Honeyball, carried top weight in the Philip Wilson Memorial Novices' Limited Handicap Chase, but that didn't stop him winning again as he completed a four-timer, beating odds-on favourite Ice Jet. Held up on the inside by Sam Twiston-Davies as Cobbler's Boy made the running, he was taken to the outside going down the back straight and, after Ice Jet had set sail for home jumping the third-last fence, quickly wore the leader down to win by five lengths.
There were three course winners in the Torbay Weekly Handicap Hurdle over two and a half miles and it was Mi Sueno who was made favourite to follow up his win in July for the Nick Scholfield Racing Club. This was a result for the bookies, however, as 25/1 shot Son Of Hypnos, trained at St Columb in Cornwall by Ryan Chapman, made all the running in the hands of Jack Stenhouse to beat Mi Sueno and Ugo Bingo with some ease.
Harry Cobden swapped his role with Paul Nicholls to ride as first jockey to leading owner J P McManus this season and he was on the mark with Mojito Des Mottes, trained by Ben Pauling, in the closing Sun Racing Summer Jumps Championship Handicap Hurdle, cruising past favourite Lunar Orbit at the penultimate flight to win impressively.