IT proved to be a profitable afternoon for punters backing long distance raiders at Hexham Races last Saturday with three of the six winners trained at yards in Cheltenham, Droitwich and Haverfordwest.
Martin Keighley's 500-mile round trip from his Cheltenham base was rewarded with a pillar to post victory for 109-rated hurdler Pike Road in the hands of son Freddie.
The six-year-old didn't see another rival in the 2m7f Harrison Family Remembering Loved Ones Maiden Hurdle Race and cruised home 36 lengths ahead of Cloghan Castle (Harry Reed).
The 430-mile return journey to MIckey Bowen's Haverfordwest yard in South West Wales would seem a lot shorter after River Of Joy (Shane Fenelon) made a winning debut over fences in the 3m Paxtons Now Stocking Stihl Equioment Handicap Chase.
Herefordshire raider Not Sure (Liam Harrison), who was Kerry Lee's first runner at Hexham, led from the off until headed after the last by Fenelon's mount who found plenty when it mattered inside the final furlong to win, going away, by eight lengths.
This was a third winner in a row for Bowen, after recording a double with his only two runners at Market Rasen the previous day.
Dr Richard Newland & Jamie Insole's Droitwich raider Celestron Star had enjoyed an overnight stay in the Racecourse stables before defying a 7lb penalty in the 2m Kerri's Race To Her 30's Mares' Open National Hunt Flat Race.
Given a positive ride by Luke Scott, the five-year-old beat the promising Loveatfirstglance (Jamie Hamilton) by one-and-three-quarter lengths, with Lipstick Traces (Joshua Thompson) a further three-quarters of a length away in third.
Vastly experienced Wiltshire-based jockey James Davies, 40, who has clocked up more than 5,500 rides under Rules, partnered Cheshire raider Miss Maverick to victory in the 2m4f Paxtons Official Case IH Cumbrian Dealer Handicap Hurdle Race.
Always prominent, Jean Balmer's home-bred eight-year-old mare repelled a late challenge from recent Hexham scorer Blakey Boy (Craig Nichol) by one-and-a-half lengths.
After being beaten a maximum of one-and-a-half lengths on his last three starts over hurdles, Willie Shake Hands (Jonathan England) made a winning debut over fences in the 2m oddsnow.com Your Home Of Betting Insight Handicap Chase.
Always prominent and travelling well, the lightly raced six-year-old was always doing enough in the closing stages to keep Scots Poet (Conor O'Farrell) at bay by one-and-a-half lengths.
The winner is trained at Guiseley by England's wife Sam. She rode her first winner between the flags in March 2008 and finished third in the National Ladies' Championship in the 2011/12 season.
Great Notions provided the experienced John Dawson, 35, with a landmark 50th career winner under Rules in the featured 3m Paxtons Heart Of All England Maiden Hunters' Chase - a race dating back to 1907.
Having already proved he relishes a stamina test with two wins between the flags at Alnwick earlier this year, the progressive six-year-old’s jumping was more fluent than odds-on favourite Wallace Olinger (Dale Peters) and the duo had the race between them a long way from home.
Great Notions had to dig deep to gamely hold off a renewed challenge from the favourite by a head.
The next two meetings at Hexham are on Tuesday, May 20 (First Race at 5.58pm) and Saturday, June 7 (First Race at 4.05pm). In addition, the course hosts the Haydon Point-to-Point fixture this Saturday, where a seven-race card starts at 2pm and will be preceded by pony racing.
Share