ALANNA HOMES
CHAMPION NOVICE
HURDLE (GRADE 1)
A GOOD meeting for the visitors got even better when the Robbie Power-ridden Reserve Tank became the third top flight winner to hail from across the Irish Sea as he maintained his striking progress through the ranks to make it two Grade 1s in succession.
It was only in February that this Colin Tizzard inmate registered his first success over hurdles and he followed up at Kempton but he was an unconsidered 20/1 chance when landing the Mersey Novices Hurdle under Power last month.
In the face of a stern home defence the Jeremy five-year-old was a 7/1 chance this time but he took another step forward with another taking performance.
When the front-running Royal Rendezvous gave best inside the final half mile, Reserve Tank found himself at the head of a tightly packed field and he was travelling strongly at this point. However, there were challengers aplenty and in the straight Sams Profile looked to have been delivered with a perfectly timed run as the Cheltenham hero City Island (eventually finished sixth) could do no more.
Sams Profile was bearing down on Reserve Tank coming to the last flight but the British raider produced a quicker jump which gave him valuable breathing space and allowed him to set off on the run in with a clear advantage. Sams Profile came again as the line loomed but the winner still had a length to spare at the line.
“All credit to the Tizzard team. When I rode this horse to win a Sandown novice hurdle earlier in the season I did not think that he would be winning two Grade 1s by the end of the season so all credit to Colin and Joe,” declared Power, whose mount is owned by the Reserve Tankers.
“Today he was a bit keen but he travelled very strongly on that ground and just coming out of the back I needed to get a breather into him to help him get home and I was able to do that. He’s going to be some horse to go chasing with whenever they went to go that direction with him,” added the jockey, who was winning on Grade 1 winners on consecutive days.