Ruby Island lands bumper pay out for connections at Wetherby

Sheriff Hutton’s Walford had told Saturday’s The Yorkshire Post that his inmate had a great chance of landing the extra cash paid by the Great British Bonus Scheme for a second successive win and third of her progressive career.

And the mare was sent off the 8-13 favourite for the two-mile contest under jockey Jamie Hamilton and pulled clear in the closing stages to score by five lengths over Ruth Jefferson’s Malton-trained outsider Hashtag Boum (33-1).

Nicky Henderson’s City Chief (7-2) took the feature Grade 2 William Hill Towton Novices' Chase under James Bowen.

Just four runners went to post for the contest and the victor stayed on well to record a five-length success over Stuart Crawford’s O’Toole, with odds-on favourite, Dan Skelton’s Ballygrifincottage, pulled up at the 15th fence after a disappointing run under the trainer’s brother, Harry.

The Skeltons did, however, take the opening William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Novices' Hurdle with Get Up Mush (9-4 fav) and Dan landed the penultimate Good Luck Vicki - You'll Be Missed Open Hunters' Chase with Not That Fuisse (11-8 fav), with amateur jockey Miss Heidi Palin doing the steering for a second career win.

Conditional jockey Thomas Willmott is facing a spell on the sidelines after breaking his arm and foot in a fall at Catterick on Friday.

Willmott had ridden Praire Wolf to victory for Bingley trainer Sue Smith in the opening Racing To School Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle – the second year running the duo won the race.

But he later came to grief when unseated by North Parade in the Join Racing TV Now Novices' Handicap Chase for the same handler.

The young rider tweeted from his Twitter account on Saturday, saying: “Great to win on Praire Wolf yesterday at @CatterickRaces for @suesmithracing & The Orchard Family. Unfortunately I parted company with my later ride on North Parade. Broken my upper arm & a few bones in my foot, awaiting surgery now. Thank you for all of the messages of concern”.

Willmott, who combines his career in the saddle with training to be a funeral director, was one of three winners of the Jockeys Education and Training Scheme’s (JETS) Richard Davis Awards, announced last November.

The young Scot was awarded the BHA Development Award, worth £1000, which is only open to current jockeys for his efforts in and out of the saddle last season.

State Man strode to a decisive victory over the gallant Honeysuckle in the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.

The 6-5 favourite after five successive victories over hurdles so far, the Willie Mullins-trained chestnut travelled at the head of the field throughout under Paul Townend.

Honeysuckle galloped in his slipstream until the closing stages, where she was unable to follow as State Man powered on off the bend and pulled away to cross the line four and three-quarter lengths ahead.

"Paul surprised me when he came into the parade ring and I asked him what he was going to do and he said he was going to make it," said Mullins.

"He didn't see much to make it in the race so I said 'OK, do that'. It worked out, the horse is not used to being in front, but he jumped well enough in front and Paul thought he was a bit idle in front as well.

"He did everything right and you couldn't ask any more."

When asked about the improvement in his jumping he added: "A lot of people forget that he won the County Hurdle and you don't win that with sloppy jumping.

"In Punchestown it might have been a slow race and when it was slow he just took his time.

"When he has to be sharp he's well able to jump very quickly. He jumped like a Champion Hurdler, I thought, all the way down the back.

"Paul asked some big questions and he came up every time. I was very happy.

"It's nice to have a horse like him and fingers crossed that he stays right."

Just behind Honeysuckle in third was the winner's stablemate Vauban, and Mullins added: "I was very pleased with how Vauban finished off his race.

"He made a mistake at the first and he was a bit giddy before the race in the parade ring and didn't like all that.

"He's still learning and he'll improve away. It might be next year before he'll be the horse we think he is."