Hexham-born jockey Harry Reed and Irthington, near Brampton trainer Tristan Davidson were the ones to follow on last Saturday's 'Charity Raceday' card at a windswept Hexham as Perseus Way and Divilabother provided the duo with a well deserved double in front of a bumper crowd of 2,300.
Perseus Way set the ball rolling with a third win from four starts for his new yard in the 2m4f Lisa Bond Celebration Handicap Hurdle.
Confidently ridden by Reed and always travelling well, he made smooth headway down the back straight into third place two out before heading pace-setting Passing Diamond (Richie McLernon) off the home turn. Five lengths clear and in command at the final flight, Reed's mount kept on strongly up the run-in to justify 13-8 favouritism with a commanding nine-length success over the consistent Well Educated (Jonathon Bewley).
Davidson bought the versatile seven-year-old for £8,500 through the Goffs Go Online Sale on January 29 from Stuart Coltherd and, after finishing third on stable debut at Hexham on May 2, he has now won three in a row, with two victories at Hexham coming either side of a 1m5f Flat success at Hamilton.
The winner is a full brother to Just Fine who has won more than £580,000 in prize-money on the Flat, and a half-brother to Tornado Alert who won a 1m2f Group 1 contest at Munich last July after finishing runner-up at Royal Ascot the previous month.
''It's been fantastic, a great day,'' said Davidson. ''I really like Perseus Way. He's a good horse and ran well here last time as well as at Hamilton. I'm really happy with him and he's definitely going the right way.''
''I wouldn't want to risk him on rattling quick ground, but Hexham do a good job of keeping the ground safe. I think he can be a nice one for the winter, so we'll wait and see what the weather does.
''You don't know when you buy them. You sometimes think they're getting sold for a reason, but he's been a great horse for me so far.''
Half-an-hour later, Davidson and Reed doubled up in the 2m7f drainrat.co.uk Rat Entry Diagnosis Specialist Handicap Hurdle when patiently ridden Divilabother came from the back to overhaul long time leader Pinot Rouge (Patrick Wadge) inside the final furlong and win, going away, by two-and-a-half lengths.
Davidson said: ''I thought Harry gave him a fantastic ride and he likes it around Hexham. He wasn't right the last time he ran here here on May 19, but he went on a course of antibiotics and he was a different horse today.''
The double enhanced an impressive start to the new jumps season for the Cumbrian trainer with 4 winners and 5 placed from just 12 runners.
It was also another good day at the office for Guiseley trainer Sam England who made it seven winners at the last three Hexham meetings with the victories of Ghasham and course specialist Passengerontheship in the hands of husband Jonathan.
Odds-on favourite Ghasham ended a long losing run in the 2m Tileform Handicap Chase but didn't have things all his own way, and it was only inside the final half-furlong that the seven-year-old finally headed Bentley Road (Derek Fox) before drawing clear to score by two-and-three-quarter lengths.
The rejuvenated winner has form figures of 221 for England since being bought for only £4,600 out of champion trainer Dan Skelton's yard through the Tattersalls Online Sale on April 9.
Passengerontheship completed a Hexham hat-trick in the space of 25 days in the 3m Stan Hayhurst Memorial Handicap Chase which was run in memory of the former top northern jumps jockey who passed away at the age of 91 in July 2025.
He will always be best remembered for partnering Kerstin to victory in the 1958 Cheltenham Gold Cup. He rode his first winner Carpact at Hexham in 1950 and his career total stood at 301 when he retired from the saddle in 1972. Stan later served as a part-time judge then as a steward at Hexham and other local tracks before finally retiring in 2007.
After taking it up more than a mile from home, Passengerontheship got the better of a prolonged duel with former stable companion Croagh Patrick (William Maggs) from three out to score by two lengths.
Rebecca Menzies-trained Snapaudaciaheros (Charlie Maggs) bounced back to form in the 2m Andy Calvert Celebration Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle, but her task was made easier when pace-setting Malangen, who was still one length up, blundered and unseated Jack Stenhouse two out.
Appreciating a return to good ground, the six-year-old was always doing enough to keep Newport (Tom Midgley) at bay in the closing stages and still had half-a-length in hand over her rival at the line.
Lambourn raider Obsessedwithyou (Gavin Sheehan) justified odds-on favouritism in the valuable 2m Clean Sweep Novices' Hurdle to take her career tally to seven but, after heading pace-setting Nobotheratall (Harry Reed) off the home turn, had to kept up to her work to score by two lengths in receipt of 13lb from the runner-up.
On a good day for punters, Loman Lady (Harry Skelton) was a fifth winning favourite in the concluding 2m Raymond Forster 70th Birthday Open National Hunt Flat Race.
Confidently ridden, the five-year-old picked off her rivals one-by-one throughout the final mile before asserting inside the last half-furlong to score, with a bit in hand, by two-and-three-quarter lengths from debutante Author Dora (Jamie Hamilton).
The winner was bred at Nunstainton Stud near Sedgefield by Chris Dawson, while her dam Border Flora scored between the flags at Dalston and Hexham in 2013 in the colours of Bill Aitchison.
Loman Lady's cosy success made it 40 winners, including 16 in the last fortnight, from 95 runners in the new jumps season for champion trainer Dan Skelton.
The last action at Hexham before the course takes its traditional three-month break is on Sunday where another bumper crowd is expected for the 'Ladies Day' card which starts at 2.13pm.
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