Graham Clark reports from Kempton Park on the pick of Saturday's afternoon action which saw Teddy Blue put himself in the frame for Aintree.
Toby McCain-Mitchell timed his run to perfection aboard Intosomethinggood, who swooped late to secure a last gasp success in the Virgin Bet A Good Bet Handicap Hurdle at Kempton Park.
The Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies-trained gelded son of Dragon Dancer registered his fourth success of the campaign when making the most of a drop down from Grade Two company in the £40,000 contest under an inspired ride by the five-pound claimer.
Entering the race on the back of five straight defeats, including when pulling up in the mud in the River Don Novices’ Hurdle at Doncaster last time, the five-year-old, who registered his first win of the campaign back in June, looked much happier back on a sounder surface.
Although still faced with plenty of work to do turning for home the 14/1 chance began to hit top gear as the field, headed by Turndlightsdownlow, and recent Newcastle scorer The Gray Ghost, hurtled towards the final flight in the two mile five furlong test.
After jumping the last it looked as though Turndlightsdownlow had done enough to secure a third course and distance win after fighting off The Gray Ghost, however it was not to be with Intosomethingood getting up almost on the line to score by three quarters of a length.
Nigel Twiston-Davies said: “He was fourth in a Grade Two earlier in the season and he was not beaten very far that day so he is a proper horse.
“The better ground helped him enormously as he got a bit stuck in the ground at Doncaster last time and he was a different horse today. That is his fourth win of the season and he has been smashing.
“Willy found this race ages ago as we wanted to go to Cheltenham, but he got balloted out at Cheltenham as it was anyway. We will have a look at Aintree for him otherwise he has probably done enough for the season.
“This trip was fine, but we know he can go over three miles as well. He will probably go over fences next season.”
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Harry Derham will consider giving Teddy Blue a crack over the famous Grand National fences at Aintree after claiming a battling success in the Virgin Bet Supports Safe Gambling Handicap Chase.
Having scored on the corresponding card 12 months ago in the two and a quarter mile novices’ limited handicap chase the gelded son of Sea The Moon found his way back into the winner’s enclosure at the Sunbury venue after knuckling down well late on to take the feature prize.
It wasn’t until the race began to unfold down the home straight that the 8/1 chance played his hand under Paul O’Brien, who had earlier had to settle for second best aboard Teddy Blue’s stablemate Pure Carbon.
With last time out course and distance winner, and 5/6 favourite Califet En Vol beating a hasty retreat over the second last it was left to triple Grade Two-winner Blueking D’Oroux and Teddy Blue to fight out the finish in the extended two and a half mile test.
It looked as though Blueking D’Oroux in first time cheekpieces had got the better of the argument after holding a slender advantage over the last, but with one last lunge Teddy Blue got up in the shadows of the post to score by a neck.
Derham said: “I think he is so fun because at four stages in the race you are thinking different things. At one stage you are thinking he is going to pull up and then you think he is going well. He is a big character.
“Since he has gone over fences he has held his form well. We were hopeful that today would be a good performance as he has done well around this course before and the ground has come right for him.
“He ran well last time at Newbury, but he just got racing a little bit too soon and didn’t quite see it out. He has held his form well and I’m delighted for him to have won another good pot as once you have won a one hundred thousand pounds pot in a season it is hard to win again.”
And following the win the Boxford handler earmarked the Randox Topham Handicap Chase on April 10th as the most likely next port of call for Teddy Blue.
He added: “I think we will have a swing and a bat at the Topham now. Whether he would quite stay the trip I don’t know, but he would get in off a pretty low weight.
“The fences aren’t the test they were and he is a horse that is very brave so he wouldn’t be scared of them.
“He is just as likely to win it as refuse at the first. You have no idea if he would take to it, or not, but it is a massive prize and I can just envisage it being the type of race he would enjoy.”
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