Huntingdon Races

Made all - mistake 2nd - went clear after 3 out - not fluent 2 out - shaken up approaching last - easily(op 2/5 tchd 1/3)

In touch with leaders - outpaced and lost ground after 3 out - not fluent 2 out - rallied and went second last - kept on but no match for winner(op 8/1)

Midfield - not fluent 3 out - soon shaken up - not fluent last - kept on well run-in - went third inside final 110yds - eyecatcher (inquiry held into running and riding of gelding - which raced mid-division and was tenderly handled in home straight before running on strong to be beaten 2 lengths for 2nd place; jockey stated his instructions were to follow the favourite and make his challenge as and when he was able to do so; jockey explained that having made a mistake at first hurdle - gelding was further back than ideal but as this was gelding's first run over hurdles he opted to remain where he was rather than bustle him up in case he began to over-race; jockey added that gelding did - in fact - settle well in early stages of what he thought was a strong gallop although his jumping was novicey and he maintained that he was flat out throughout and had wanted to be closer to the leaders rounding final bend; regarding his ride in home straight - he said that he had focused on getting gelding to jump home safely - adding that he was pleased with his jumping at this stage - and had switched to the inside to get the best of the ground in order to achieve his best possible placing; trainer confirmed instructions - also confirming she was pleased with ride because - as this was gelding's first time over hurdles - they wanted him to find a good rhythm and have a nice introduction whilst acknowledging that it was a considerate ride as a result of gelding's poor jumping early on; trainer further added that there were no immediate plans for gelding as they wanted to see how he performed today although - with jockey's recommendation - they would consider running gelding without a hood as she felt that might have dulled his performance; gelding suspended from running in any race for 40 days but that - along with jockey ban and trainer fine - was overturned on appeal)(op 5/1)