Maguire lands Wetherby hat-trick

The highlight was Dunowen Point’s dramatic win in the Yorkshire Post Ladies’ Evening 30th May Handicap Steeplechase – the horse’s second triumph in 17 days after a lengthy lay-off which appears to have rejuvenated the Donald McCain-trained seven-year-old.

Luck was on their side. Tim Easterby’s course specialist, Lease Lend, a winner of the corresponding race two years ago, had the contest at his mercy when approaching the last before jumping violently right under helpless jockey Harry Haynes.

At least five lengths down at the time, Dunowen Point – a 5-2 chance – did land running and overhauled the luckless Lease End, who has now been placed in five successive races at the West Yorkshire track this season without getting his nose in front.

The one-and-a-quarter-length win was the centrepiece of Maguire’s treble – he won the opener on Up And Go, another hugely promising McCain horse, before taking the concluding Bumper on Ifits A Fiddle for Richard Phillips.

The hat-trick followed his heroics four days earlier at Doncaster where Maguire partnered Arkle Trophy prospect Overturn to a very impressive win just 30 minutes after a horror fall that could so easily have ended the 32-year-old’s season.

“I don’t think I’ve seen him ride better,” said McCain, who also confirmed that he is waiting for better ground before Champion Hurdle prospect Cinders And Ashes races again.

“Dunowen Point did it well. He’s toughed it out, just like his jockey. I thought two miles might be a sharp but he’s battled all the way to the line.

“I can only think the break before Sedgefield on Boxing Day has made the difference and I’d like to think he’ll improve again. He’s a nice prospect and this was a valuable race to win.

“A typical Jason ride. He never gives up. I just said after the Doncaster fall that he was going soft – and then, when I watched the replay, I realised just how long that he’d been down.”

A distant second to AP McCoy, who is seeking an 18th successive championship in this season’s title race, Maguire’s most realistic prospect is for injury to afflict the record-breaking rider – and he would not wish to be the beneficiary of such misfortune.

Perhaps Maguire’s best chance could be in a couple of seasons time if the seemingly invincible McCoy retires after reaching the 4,000-winner landmark – he is 180 short at present.

Another to enjoy a successful afternoon was weighing room veteran Brian Harding. He won the novice chase on Fourjacks, collaring Poole Master on the line, and completed his double on the lightly-raced Herdsman in the handicap hurdle for Bingley trainer Sue Smith, whose Kent Street was second.

Harding’s wins were sandwiched by a first-flight unseat from Sam Lord in an eventful handicap hurdle that saw Prize Fighter record a 10-1 win for Tadcaster trainer Lynn Siddall after long-time leader Highland Love blundered badly at the last.

The aforementioned Tim Easterby and his father Peter, the former Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer, train steeplechase debutant Fourjacks.

“We’re delighted with him,” said Easterby junior. “He’s a lovely, lovely horse – he’s always been a nice horse.

“Chasing has always been the plan. We’ll keep going. He’s owned by Trevor Hemmings and is a nice prospect.”

Easterby also confirmed that stable star Trustan Times will be given an entry in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival; his only explanation for the horse’s disappointing pre-Christmas run at Ascot was the desperately heavy going.

An unlucky loser to Fourjacks, Poole Master’s jockey Tom Scudamore was compensated by Dashing George’s success in the handicap chase.

Like the Maguire and McCain partnership, Scudamore was drawn to Wetherby by the competitive prize money as he chalked up his 56th victory of the season.

Elsewhere, the gambled on Oscar Dara won Kempton’s Lanzarote Hurdle for trainer Nicky Henderson and jockey Barry Geraghty.

Henderson’s great rival, Paul Nicholls, has a top-class novice chaser on his hands after Rocky Creek followed up his Doncaster win last month by winning a classy contest at Warwick from Bingley trainer Sue Smith’s Fill The Power.

The runner-up was ridden by Ryan Mania, who put up a gallant effort on Smith’s Auroras Encore in the Betfred Classic Chase – top weight only became a factor in the final mile of this marathon, but the Grand National prospect plugged on to finish fifth.

“He’s a Spring horse on better ground. Considering the weight and ground, it was a terrific run,” said the jockey.

The gruelling race was won by joint bottom weight Rigadin de Beauchene, who came with a late charge to beat Alan King’s Godsmejudge on the line.

It was the biggest triumph of young conditional Robbie Dunne’s career. Trainer Venetia Williams signalled that the Welsh National could be the long-term target – the horse’s owners, she says, are reluctant to risk their charge at Aintree.

Galloping machine The New One completed a familiar story – a fourth successive win – by landing the Grade Two Neptune Investment Hurdle and is now 4-1 favourite for the sponsors’ race at the Cheltenham Festival.

A potential star in the making, his jockey Sam Twiston-Davies – riding for his trainer father Nigel – said: “The sky’s the limit.”

As for Twiston-Davies senior, he reported 2010 Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander, now a veteran at the age of 12, to be on track for a long-awaited comeback at Cheltenham on Saturday week after coming through a racecourse gallop at Warwick.