Uttoxeter Saturday

THE weekend after the Cheltenham Festival can feel slightly deflating, but the Midlands National and a pair of handicaps at Kempton for those balloted out of Festival handicaps provide their share of interest, and the former race allowed Paul Nicholls to shrug off a blank week in the Cotswolds as 28/1 outsider Isaac Des Obeaux landed Uttoxeter’s big race of the year under Sam Twiston-Davies.

The eight-year-old was prominent with runner-up Rock My Way (Joe Tizzard/Brendan Powell) from the start and stayed on best after colliding with that rival jumping the last fence. The margin was eight lengths with the pair a distance clear in a race where 11 of the 16 runners pulled up.

Nicholls said: “He’s always wanted a trip. Harry always said to me that this would be the ideal race for him. He just needed time to mature and Sam gave him a great ride. It’s great for the Barber boys (Chis and Giles) and for Ged Mason as well.

“We didn’t get a win at this year’s festival and, as hard as it is, to get placings shows the calibre of horse that you have. But to come here and win the Midlands National straight away is great.”

Nicholls’s former assistant Dan Skelton had a more successful Cheltenham, and he carried on his good form with a 306.5/1 treble on the card, courtesy of Kykorock (Harry Skelton), Sassipants (Harry Skelton) and Jasmin De Cotte (Charlie Todd), and was close to a four-timer with the heavily-backed A Pai De Nom just touched off by Doughmore Boy (Emma Lavelle/Ben Jones) in the valuable three-mile handicap hurdle.

Other Festival winners to hit the board again were Jonjo and A.J. O’Neill with Wellington Arch (Jonjo Jr) in the opening handicap hurdle and Ben Pauling, who saddled Dig Deep (Ben Jones) to win the novice hurdle.

Teddy’s best behaviour brings success

Kempton Saturday

AT Kempton, Fergal O’Brien and Johnny Burke teamed up for victory with Molten Sea and Tiddesley Wood, who took the novice hurdles on the card to provide the trainer/jockey combination with a 12.5/1 double.

Harry Derham capped another good season by landing the Virgin Bet Supports Safer Gambling Handicap Chase with the mercurial Teddy Blue (Paul O’Brien), with the 8/1 shot getting the better of Blueking d’Oroux, trained by Derham’s uncle and former boss, Paul Nicholls, but not before giving O’Brien a torrid time of things.

“He’s just his own man,” laughed Derham about Teddy Blue, who has his share of idiosyncrasies.

“His owners are incredibly sporting - they ask me if he’s in good form and I always say ‘I don’t know’, because I don’t! My travelling head girl Amy leads him out and, if he sees the jockey before he gets on, he refuses.

“Paul said when he got down to the start and saw the other horses, he thought he was having none of it, and then he started running away with him. He’s as mad as a march hare!”

Derham had fancied his chances with Pure Carbon in the Novices’ Handicap Chase, but his charge had to settle for second behind the impressive Secret Des Dieux (James Owen/Sean Bowen), who shaded favouritism at 3/1 and gave his jockey a fillip after a disappointing week at Cheltenham.

The jockey and trainer have teamed up to excellent effect this season, with Secret Des Dieux the 30th winner for the pair from 82 runners, a strike rate of 37%.

Around the Tracks

LOUTH-born James Keane has only recently joined the training ranks at Newmarket, although the former junior national eventing champion has been involved with horses for his entire life.

Keane made the training breakthrough when Time To Sparkle sprung a 16/1 surprise at Wolverhampton on Monday under Jack Mitchell. Keane was once marketing manager at the track, so it was an appropriate venue for his first winner and he gained experience for his new career with spells working for Ed Dunlop, Roger Varian, Lucy Wadham and Charlie Hills.

Also successful at Wolverhampton on Monday was the John McConnell-trained Phil’s Dream, who won the five-furlongs classified stakes under Holly Doyle. The gelding, sporting the familiar black-and-white silks of Derek Kierans, was returned at 5/1.

Murphy gets off the mark

Although no longer based in Ireland, it’s worth mentioning that Barry Murphy, son of the late Ferdy Murphy, saddled his first winner since moving to new premises at Caerfyrddin in Carmarthenshire, previously occupied by Alison Thorpe.

Murphy was successful with the Callum Pritchard-ridden Jack’s Jury at Ffos Las on Monday, having recently been granted a licence to train seven years after an initial spell training near Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.