Cabragh stretches Sam England's fine run of form

SAM England's golden patch continued as Cabragh gave the Guiseley trainer a fourth winner from her last five runners when scoring at Bangor.
Cabragh, right, ridden by Jonathan England, on its way to winning the Stella Artois supports Bangor-on-Dee Maiden Hurdle at Bangor yesterday (Picture: Martin Rickett/PA Wire).Cabragh, right, ridden by Jonathan England, on its way to winning the Stella Artois supports Bangor-on-Dee Maiden Hurdle at Bangor yesterday (Picture: Martin Rickett/PA Wire).
Cabragh, right, ridden by Jonathan England, on its way to winning the Stella Artois supports Bangor-on-Dee Maiden Hurdle at Bangor yesterday (Picture: Martin Rickett/PA Wire).

The eight-year-old, ridden by her husband Jonathan, came away with the Stella Artois Supporting Bangor Handicap Chase in good style.

Taken into the lead as early as the third fence, Cabragh was challenged hard by Pithivier, but kept on well to score by six lengths, despite a slight mistake at the last.

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“That was good. The horses are running well. I’m not complaining,” said the winning trainer.

“I’ll see what else there is that comes up for him.”

It is nearly a year since England was granted her training licence; she saddled a winner with her first runner when Star Presenter prevailed at Catterick in January last year.

With Cabragh’s win following the success of stablemate Manwell at Uttoxeter on Saturday, England has now saddled six winners this season – one more than in the 2015-16 campaign.

She has also had a recent winner on the Flat all-weather courtesy of My Renaissance.

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Meanwhile, North Yorkshire jockey Brian Hughes continued his flying start to 2017 with a treble at Musselburgh.

Second in the title race to defending champion Richard Johnson, he partnered Idder, Fattsota and Beyond The Clouds to victory at the Edinburgh track.

The hat-trick came just 24 hours after the in-form Hughes notched up three winners at Ayr.

Fattsota is trained near York by David O’Meara.

“David said to try get something to go with him over the first, but he’s a good Flat horse and it would have taken a decent one to get by him,” said Hughes

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“He could defy a penalty but I’ll leave it up to the trainer to place him.”

Ruby Walsh admits “tougher test lie ahead” for Min, but was adamant he could not have been any more impressive at Leopardstown over Christmas.

Runner-up in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in March, he is two from two over fences, having already registered a Grade One win in the Racing Post Novice Chase on December 26.

However, the horse who beat him at Cheltenham, Nicky Henderson’s Altior, is also being aimed at the Arkle Trophy at the Festival in March.

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“Min has done everything we hoped he might do,” Walsh told Racing UK.

“He’s jumped really well in his two starts at Navan and Leopardstown. He settled a bit better than he did over hurdles.

“He was entitled to win at Navan, and I suppose with Identity Thief pulling up at Leopardstown that took away from that performance.

“But he can only do what he did. He galloped really strongly. Altior was too good for him in the Supreme last year so tougher tests lie ahead.”

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Last year’s Arkle winner Douvan was also a Grade One scorer at Leopardstown and looks to have no peers in the two-mile division.

“Douvan was very good at Leopardstown. It was only a fortnight since he’d won at Cork, but he jumped super and travelled really well,” enthused Walsh.

“He just does everything so effortlessly.

“It was a really solid performance, but he didn’t do anything he wasn’t entitled to do.”

Grand National contender Three Faces West has been ruled out for the season with a suspensory problem.

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Trained by Philip Hobbs, the Paul and Clare Rooney-owned nine-year-old had hit a rich vein of form recently.

A winner at Haydock in November, he defied a 12lb higher mark at Newbury and was being aimed at Aintree’s showpiece race.

The Rooneys had the thrill of seeing their The Last Samuri finish second to Rule The World in the National last season and he remains on course to return to Aintree after finishing third in last month’s Becher Chase over Aintree’s unique obstacles.

“Samuri is fine, and he’ll probably go to the Grimthorpe (at Doncaster) before the National,” said Rooney.

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Haydock’s Stanjames.com Champion Hurdle Trial on January 21 has emerged as the next likely port of call for L’Ami Serge.

Nicky Henderson’s charge reverted to timber for the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day and looked all over subsequent winner Agrapart halfway up the run-in, only to be caught in the final strides by Lizzie Kelly’s mount.

Despite winning over fences at Wetherby last year, L’Ami Serge looks like staying over hurdles for the immediate future.

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