Race Report - Sunday 19th July
By David Hucker
Leading trainer Dan Skelton, who is looking to set a new training record this season, made it nine winners for the month and 60 in all for the campaign when Getmyfriend came out on top in the closest finish of the afternoon at Newton Abbot's Family Fun Day.
High Aura, owned and trained by Skelton, was expected to improve on her racecourse debut when third at Stratford and was made odds-on favourite in the opening John Bircham And Stephen "Jagger" Hayes Memorial Juvenile Maiden Hurdle. It was 5/2 second-favourite Timely Salute, ridden by Tom Broughton, who came out on top, taking command entering the home straight to beat Us Officer by 12 lengths, with High Aura, who couldn't live with the front two, a further 16 lengths back in third.
Diamond White, placed in four of her five starts under Rules, headed the market in the Happy 80th Birthday Ted Hull Mares' Maiden Hurdle. Runner-up to Trouville at Worcester last time, she had to settle for second spot again as Getmyfriend prevailed by a neck. Diamond White had tried to make all the running, but had Getmyfriend for company over the final two flights and the two raced wide apart with the Skelton-trained mare putting her head in front right on the line.
Winning jockey Harry Skelton had come into the meeting twelve winners ahead of reigning champion Sean Bowen and this success restored the margin after Bowen had won on Stellarmasterpiece at Stratford 17 minutes earlier. Bowen went on to ride two more winners, however, to close the gap to ten in what is developing into a fascinating title race.
It's A Breeze beat The Gypsy Davey at the last meeting and they met again in the Dick Oliver At Newton Abbot Races Handicap Chase over two miles and five furlongs, going off the 3/1 joint favourites. Despite carrying a 7lb penalty for that win, It's A Breeze won by further this time, going clear in the hands of conditional jockey Paddy Hanlon approaching the second-last fence to beat outsider Emberscombe by ten lengths.
Lambourn trainer Nick Scholfield sent out 20 winners in his first season and, having scored with Raffles Nobu at the last meeting to take his total for this campaign to six, added another when Mi Sueno beat Yanka Blue and Saucats in the Brendon Soper Memorial Handicap Hurdle. The three had jumped the penultimate flight in line, but Mi Sueno had asserted before the last and, despite jumping to the left and stumbling on landing, came away to win comfortably.
Jager Time, who went down by the minimum margin of a nose to Final Entry here last month, went one better in the Zero To Exit Handicap Hurdle over three and a quarter miles, beating the locally-trained Time To Bite by 12 lengths with Byzantium a further 16 lengths back in third. Fern O'Brien had sent Jager Time past the front-running Time To Bite on the home turn and they went clear over the final two flights to win unchallenged.
Course winner My Girl Katie, ridden by Ben Jones, was backed from 11/4 to 2/1 to make a winning reappearance in the closing Sun Racing Summer Jumps Championship Handicap Chase and she sent favourite backers home happy, coming late to beat Great d'Ange, with top-weight Premier Fantasy in third.