Delight for trainer Sam as she claims first treble

Jeteye (Tom Midgley) set the ball rolling for England with a second course win in the 2m7f Tynedale Agricultural Society Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle Race.

Devon raider Watchoutitscookie (Murray Dodd) faded quickly after relinquishing the lead before the last, leaving Jeteye and locally trained Valette (Jack Power) to engage in a prolonged duel down the long run-in.

The photo-finish print confirmed that Jeteye had prevailed by a short head, with favourite My Boy Christy (William Maggs) two-and-a-quarter lengths away in third.

Midgley said: “He's really tough, jumped brilliant, and travelled really nicely, and when Valette came upsides he put his head down and battled all the way to the line.”

An hour later, Passengerontheship (Richie McLernon) struck gold for England's yard in the 2m4f Port Of Blyth Novices' Handicap Chase.

Always prominent, McLernon's mount reeled in pace-setting Out On Her Own (Ryan Mania) from three out and hit the front at the last before drawing clear inside the final furlong to score by seven lengths.

Bought for £17,000 at Goffs UK Doncaster Sales in May 2023, the seven-year-old's win formed the first leg of a treble for McLernon, who said: “Dropping back down in trip suited him. He was excellent and the race worked out perfectly.”

England added: “Richie was deputising for my husband Jonathan who damaged a couple of ribs in a fall at Aintree last Friday night and we don't know how long he'll be out for.

“All our horses have been running well, but we've just been short of a winner or two until tonight.”

Bought out of Michael Bell's yard for £15,000 at Tattersalls Horses-In-Training Sale in October 2024, the versatile Banderas (Richie McLernon), a winner on the Flat and over hurdles last summer, completed a landmark first treble for England in the 2m4f Port Of Blyth Handicap Hurdle Race.

In a race of changing fortunes at the business end, long-time leader Sunset Hill (Nathan Moscrop) was finally headed on the home turn by Well Educated (Jonathon Bewley), but the latter had nothing more to give when Banderas went on approaching the last.

McLernon's mount kept on well up the run-in to score by a comfortable four-and-a-quarter lengths, with the rallying Sunset Hill a neck away in third.

The treble came on the back of England posting career-best totals of winners last season with 32 over jumps and 22 on the Flat, since sending out her first runners in the 2015-16 campaign.

She said: “In the early days, Banderas was very keen when he came to us off the Flat but he settled beautifully tonight.

“Richie is fantastic and has a great strike rate for us.

“You don't need to give good jockeys like Richie instructions, just leave it to him and he delivers.”

In her younger days, Sam England (formerly Sam Drake) was a talented point-to-point rider before signing off at the Haydon fixture in June 2012. Coincidentally, her last winners between the flags came at Hexham on Morello Mist and Optimistic Harry at the Border fixture almost 14 years ago to the day from her treble on Tuesday night.

Half-an-hour before scoring on Banderas, the evergreen McLernon, 39, had doubled up on Ben Haslam's recent course winner Passing Diamond in the 2m4f Northumberland County Show Novices' Hurdle Race.

Sent straight into the lead, the progressive six-year-old never looked like being caught as he maintained a relentless gallop to score by four-and-a-half lengths from Nicky Henderson-trained hurdling debutant Bold Step (James Bowen) who was carrying the colours of HM The King & HM The Queen.

McLernon said of the ex-Irish dual winning Pointer: “He's a grand horse going forward, has a good attitude, and is learning all the time.”

Recent course winner Conquer The Breeze initiated doubles for jockey Ryan Mania, 37, and Seahouses trainer Adam Nicol when following up off an 8lb higher mark in the 2m Port Of Blyth Handicap Chase.

Always prominent, the seven-year-old headed pace-setting Diamond Mix (Callum Bewley) just after two out and went clear up the hill before scoring in impressive fashion by seventeen lengths.

Mania said: “He comes alive when you set him alight and travels up that hill incredibly well. He won with plenty in hand and looks a nice horse for a summer campaign.''

Nicol added: “He loves the track, is in a good bit of form and is likely to back here on June 6.”

Mania and Nicol doubled up with Fine Point in the 2m Jason Arnup After Party 6th June Handicap Hurdle Race.

Appreciating the drop back in trip, the five-year-old made smooth headway down the hill from three out into second after the next before heading long-time leader Malangen (Alan Doyle) approaching the last.

In command from that point, Mania's mount had four-and-three-quarter lengths in hand at the line over Justus (Joshua Thompson), with the veteran Malangen back in third on his 96th career start.

The most popular winner on the seven-race card was West Lawn (Danny McMenamin), owned and trained by Hexham Mart & Hexham Racecourse chairman Jimmy Walton, in the 3m Lynn Siddall Memorial Handicap Chase.

Always up with the pace and jumping more fluently than usual, the home-bred ten-year-old mare finally got the better of long-time leader The Clonmel Kid (Joe Williamson) after the last, and stayed on well to score by five-and-a-half lengths from the fast finishing Worth The Walk (Alice Stevens).

A winner between the flags at Corbridge and Alnwick since scoring twice over hurdles at Hexham in 2022, this was West Lawn's 40th career start under all codes.

Deputising for Charlie Maggs, this was a 7th winner of the new jumps season for McMenamin, who said: “Jimmy told me to line her up at the front and be nice and positive. 

“She's not very big and it can be quite daunting in a double-figure field, so only having five rivals here was ideal.2

The next two meetings at Hexham are on Saturday June 6, (first race at 4.30pm) and Saturday, June 13 (first race at 1.42pm).