Haydock Park Saturday review | Bo Zenith lands Victor Ludorum for trainer Gary Moore

Porticello obliged at odds of 30/100 in the 2022 renewal of the Betfred Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle which was the sort of price that Bo Zenith (9/4 favourite) had been sent off at on debut for Gary Moore, only to finish a well beaten third of four.

Bo Zenith proved that run to be all wrong under much quicker conditions at Haydock, keeping on well after getting the better of a sustained duel with Cianciana who just had enough left in the tank to hold off Punta Del Este.

Winning rider Tom Cannon told Racing TV: "A very nice performance. They drew a line through his run at Sandown and Josh (Moore) told me beforehand they thought he'd come on for the run and they were proven right.

"It was tight enough (for him). He was a little bit green at various stages but he'll come on a bundle for that mentally and did everything right. It looks as though he's got the size and scope to progress and the further he went, the better he seemed to go.

"I thought turning in to the bottom of the straight I might be in trouble but I gave him a couple of reminders and he picked up nicely the whole way up the straight and did his best work towards the line so that was perfect."

Moore said: “He was so disappointing at Sandown. I thought I’d found the worst race I could possibly have found and I couldn’t believe he got beat.

“I’d hate to think he wasn’t fit enough. Maybe he just hadn’t quite come to himself and maybe the heavy ground at Sandown didn’t suit him as much as I thought it would.

“I’ve only listened to the race today on the radio and I haven’t spoken to Tom yet, so I wouldn’t want to comment on his performance too much, but it’s nice he’s gone and won.

“I’ll speak to the owners and make a plan from there.”

Porticello, who represented the same owner and trainer, went on to finish sixth in the JCB Triumph Hurdle and Betfair Sportsbook cut the winner to 16/1 from 33s for the juvenile crown at next month's Cheltenham Festival; the same price as Sky Bet, who offer non-runner no bet as do Paddy Power who were more impressed in quoting Bo Zenith at 12/1.

Wakool (6/1) galloped on strongly to reel in Itchy Feet and claim Grade Two honours in the Betfred Rendlesham Hurdle.

The grey was in a share of third jumping the second last and still had a length to find at the final flight but Wakool landed running and kept on strongly under Conor O’Farrell to win by a length and a half with the pair finishing 10 lengths clear of Ashtown Lad in third.

A delighted Nick Alexander, trainer of the winner, said: "One of those horses who kept progressing from his juvenile hurdles and now he's won a Grade Two, so brilliant.

"I thought he was never travelling. He ran 13 days ago at Musselburgh where he had quite a hard race and I thought today had come too soon until the turn for home where he came on the bridle.

"He would be qualified for it (the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival) but I don't think so; I'll speak to the owners.

"Today is quite often not the deepest Grade Two race because it's so close to Cheltenham so this has been on my mind for quite a long time and I'm delighted it's worked."

Johnson’s Blue (17/2) notched his seventh win in the past 12 months in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle.

Mark Walford’s charge was rated just 87 when his winning spree began at Hexham in March and had to compete from a more lofty perch of 123 at Haydock.

But the six-year-old proved the handicapper has not caught up with him just yet with a tenacious display from the front end, seeing off 4/1 favourite The Changing Man by a length and a half.

“He’s a real trier, he’s genuine and he jumps. My plan wasn’t really to make the running today, but he was jumping and going forward and enjoying it, so I didn’t want to disappoint him,” said winning jockey Jamie Hamilton.

“The last furlong and a half it felt like the line was never coming, but he really stuck it out.”

Nigel Twiston-Davies and Jordan Nailor combined to win the Betfred Play Fred’s 5 Million Handicap Chase, with 9/2 shot Super Six drawing 15 lengths clear of his rivals.

Nailor, partnering his first winner since riding out his claim, said: “I’m very grateful that Nigel is still giving me support and nice horses to ride. We’ll keep trying to go forward.

“We settled lovely and he jumped fantastic – I can’t fault him at all.”

Jockey Lorcan Williams is confident the future is bright for Makin’yourmindup after continuing his progression with victory in the Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices’ Hurdle.

A £60,000 purchase from the Irish point-to-point field, the son Kayf Tara won successive novice hurdles at Chepstow earlier this season before being beaten at odds-on at Kempton last month.

The six-year-old was a 17/2 chance stepping up to Grade Two level and displayed plenty of tenacity to go with his undoubted talent to win a pulsating duel with Collectors Item by a short head.

Makin’yourmindup – providing trainer Paul Nicholls with a four-timer on the day after a treble at Wincanton – does not hold an entry in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham Festival next month, but his rider is in no doubt that there is plenty for his connections to look forward to in due course.

“The team is in great form, things are going well and this is a lovely horse – I’ve always thought a lot of him,” said Williams.

“I rode him in his first novice hurdle at Wincanton last season (finished second) and as you can see he’s a big horse who just needed a bit of time to grow into himself. I had the pleasure of riding him again at Chepstow and you could see how much he’s developed. After I rode him the last day, I said we should go for a Listed or Graded race.

“He should probably go chasing next year as he jumps his hurdles too well if anything, but today he was tough and galloped all the way to the line. Three miles is obviously his trip and his future has got to be over the big fences.

"There’s no need to say how good Paul is with a three-mile chaser and fingers crossed he is going to be a lovely chaser for the future.”

The closing race was the Betfred Steve Hope Walrus Open Hunters' Chase over two and three quarter miles, which regularly provides strong clues for next month’s St James's Place Festival Hunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Chris Barber-trained Famous Clermont (4/5 favourite) was a very strong market leader under Will Biddick and barring a few loose horses he rarely had a moment of worry, soon pulling clear in the home straight for a facile 18 length success.

And the winning trainer revealed that he was certainly tempted by a tilt at the spring festivals after watching that performance. He said: “That was very impressive. We came back from Wincanton and we knew he had the engine, so we’ve just done a bit of work on his jumping.

“Will’s father-in-law Rupert Nuttall has done a fantastic job with him and we’ve done a lot of show jumping with him. We were probably over complicating it a bit with him to be honest, as a young horse he wasn’t very easy so we were dropping him out and things but he’s just grown up now.

“His engine is there and touch wood we’re unlocking where we want to go. We’ll look at Cheltenham but I’ll have to chat to the team. Cheltenham was off the cards after Wincanton because of his jumping but it’s back on the cards after that! Will is very keen to try and get him to Aintree, but all options are open.”

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