Sandown Saturday review: Love Envoi back with win

Winning return for Love Envoi

Love Envoi made a winning return when landing the Betfair Daily Rewards Handicap Hurdle.

Harry Fry’s Cheltenham Festival heroine was sent off the 6-4 favourite and kept on strongly to oblige backers in good fashion.

The victory sets the six-year-old up for a return to this venue for Listed action next month as all roads lead back to Prestbury Park in March.

“Johnny (Burke) didn’t think he was going as well as he hoped but said when they came at her she found extra,” explained Fry. We had her fairly ready, which she needed to be, and she will come back here for a mares’ Listed race on Tolworth day.

“There’s a race at Warwick next year and let’s hope all roads lead back to Cheltenham in March for a crack at the mares’ hurdle. She has a will to win, and you can’t buy that.”

The easiest winner of the day, however, came in the concluding Winners Wear Cavani Menswear London National Handicap Chase where Quick Wave sauntered to victory in the hands of Charlie Deutsch to continue Venetia Williams’ recent hot streak.

Speed survives final-flight scare

Authorised Speed was mentioned in the same breath as the mighty Sire De Grugy after setting himself him up for a return to Grade One company when maintaining his unbeaten record over hurdles in the opener.

After making a successful return to action at Lingfield last month the Gary Moore-trained five year-old added to that victory on his return to two miles when running out a clear-cut winner of the Brian Giles Memorial “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.

Despite giving his connections an anxious moment when forcing jockey Jamie Moore to sit tight at the last the 1/3 favourite, who finished fifth in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at The Cheltenham Festival in March, galloped on relentlessly to score by six and a half lengths.

Josh Moore, spokesman for the yard and brother of the winning jockey, said: “I rode him in the Champion Bumper and I said then I think this is a proper horse. I was disappointed I got beat that day but I was delighted he was so good.

“I just told him (Jamie) you nearly gave me a heart attack (after nearly falling at the last). He is such a good moving horse and he finds everything easy. He doesn’t get stressed or anything like that. He is an easy horse to deal with and is an absolute gentleman.

“I think, and Jamie said when he rode him at Lingfield that is the best feel I’ve had of one since Goshen or Sire De Grugy. He could be on that wavelength.”

Moore added: “He does get further but hopefully he can maybe come back here for the Tolworth. That would be the target at the moment. He is a proper soft ground horse. Today was probably quick enough for him. Heavy at Lingfield was ideal for him.

“He needed more experience. He had a few runs in bumpers but that was only his second run over hurdles. Hopefully he will have learnt a bit more today and it is good to have a run at the track before they go there (Tolworth).”

The sponsors cut the winner to 20/1 from 25s for the Sky Bet Supreme and Head of Sports PR Michael Shinners said: "That was a smart performance from Authorised Speed. The comments afterwards from Jamie Moore suggested his horse couldn't have the ground soft enough, so it will be interesting to see what his next target will be."

Dream win for Coquelicot team

Connections of Coquelicot (6/1) insisted they were ‘living the dream’ after she followed her he recent Ascot victory with a tenacious success in the Goffs Tingle Creek Sale Mares’ Handicap Hurdle.

The Anthony Honeyball-trained six-year old gave members of the Geegeez.co.uk PA syndicate plenty to shout out about when digging deep in the two and a half mile contest to repel 7/4 favourite West Balboa by a length and three quarters.

Matt Bisogno, syndicate manager, said: “She is just a little star. She keeps surprising us and who knows where next. Two weeks apart she has won at Ascot and Sandown so for a little syndicate like us we are living the dream really.

“She won the Listed bumper that is normally here that was transferred to Kempton and the following season as a novice she was a terrible hurdler. Last season it started coming together but she was not quite right health-wise.

“She looks nicely progressive and has not got many miles on the clock. She has got a bit of black type already and maybe she will get a bit more over a hurdle. I thought both West Balboa and Whitehotchillifili would go past her but we know she stays and she is really tenacious. She is a little tiger."

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