FOR someone who briefly went out of the game with no thought of returning, Leighton Aspell has done rather well since several kind folk talked him around. There have been two Grand Nationals, for a start, and on Saturday he carried all before him at Sandown, winning on Gregarious, Shanroe Santos and Morning Reggie.

The first two came for Newmarket trainer Lucy Wadham, Gregarious making all and keeping on well to hold Deauville Crystal by half a length in the Matchbook Betting Exchange Juvenile handicap Hurdle before Shanroe Santos, held up, had a little more to spare over Masters Hill in the same sponsor’s three-mile handicap chase.

Wadham’s stable has been struggling with a virus but these victories took her into double figures for the season and she also had good news of Le Reve, who suffered a neck fracture in a pile-up at Cheltenham in November. Working well again now, he should be back at Sandown for the bet365 Gold Cup.

Morning Reggie, who was landing the two and a half-mile handicap chase for the second year in succession, off a 4lb lower mark, brought a sad smile to trainer Oliver Sherwood’s face.

“I missed out last year as I was on the way to Gatwick to fly to Kelso for the rearranged meeting Many Clouds ran at,” he said. Sadly no more after his heroic effort at Cheltenham in January, Many Clouds had won the previous season’s National, with Aspell in the saddle. It was Sherwood, more than anyone else, who urged the jockey to return to the fray. The treble last week paid 116/1.

MINELLA REWARDED

Harry Fry, who went into Cheltenham full of optimism, saddled 8/1 chance Minella Awards to win the EBF Matchbook Vip Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final. Victory hardly looked likely as they turned for home but Minella Awards is a stout stayer and came with a tremendous run under Noel Fehily to get up to beat Prime Venture by just over a length.

“That was a great way to lose his maiden,” the trainer enthused. “The horse wasn’t at his best through the winter but has thrived over the past couple of weeks. We’ll look at Aintree and Punchestown, probably favouring the latter.”