MOHAAYED provided Dan and Harry Skelton with a second win in the Grade 3 Betfair Exchange Trophy at Ascot.
The success of Willow’s Saviour in this race in 2013 put the brothers on the map as a formidable trainer-and-jockey combination, and they have enjoyed hundreds of winners in the meantime.
One of the biggest was Mohaayed (16/1) in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, and he was 6lbs higher this time.
Racing in cheekpieces for the first time, the six-year-old was sent on a long way out but kept on responding to pressure.
Alan King’s Lisp emerged out of the pack to throw down the gauntlet, but a big leap at the last from the leader enabled him to win by two and a quarter lengths. Western Ryder was third, with Grand Sancy fourth.
Last season's County Hurdle winner Mohaayed lands another big prize as he wins the Betfair Exchange Trophy @Ascot under @harryskelton89.????
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 22, 2018
Did anyone manage to find that winner? pic.twitter.com/JKJh3ulJeP
Winning jockey Harry Skelton told ITV Racing: “With Willow’s Saviour, it was where it all started, so to come back and win it again is great.
“We’ve had an unbelievable year with a lot of winners, but we were saying yesterday it is the bigger days you need to hit the target. We were relying on Mohaayed – he’s done it before, and he’s done it again.
“The last day in the Greatwood, he’s a bit of a monkey, he dropped himself out – so we put cheekpieces on today to sharpen him up, and it’s a welcome Christmas present for everyone at home.”
READ THE FULL ASCOT REPORT IN MONDAY'S CHRISTMAS EVE EDITION OF THE IRISH FIELD
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