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Pickanumber romp shocks Murphy

Olly Murphy admitted to being “a bit shocked” after Pickanumber turned what was meant to be a competitive Pertemps Network Swinton Handicap Hurdle into a procession.

Bought for £30,000 as a nine-race maiden at the Goffs UK September sale, the six-year-old had already looked a shrewd purchase after winning three of his first four starts for his new connections. Despite lining up on Merseyside in rude health, Pickanumber was a 22-1 shot for what appeared a much sterner test, but he proved more than up to the task in the hands of 5lb claimer Dylan Johnston.

On the pace from flag-fall, the Shantou gelding had most of his rivals in serious trouble from the top of the home straight and the result was not really in any doubt from the second-last hurdle.

While riders in behind were rowing away for all they were worth, Johnston was able to salute the crowd as he passed the post a yawning 15 lengths clear of his nearest pursuer Tapley, picking up the lion’s share of an £80,000 prize fund for a syndicate that includes racing broadcaster Gary O’Brien.

“I’m a bit shocked really, especially because I didn’t think they went very quick and I thought there were a lot of horses beat turning in,” said Murphy. “He’s a horse we picked up cheap from Doncaster last autumn and he’s four from five for us now. He’s kind of not scraped home in a couple of ordinary races, but he hasn’t exactly been hosing up and it’s just a remarkable performance.

“I couldn’t quite make head nor tail of it really. I wouldn’t say I thought we were running in the wrong race, but I thought he’d done his winning and I’m as shocked as anyone. I don’t remember a Swinton winner winning by 15 lengths and it probably won’t help us going forward, but it’s a big pot to win today and we’ll enjoy it.

“I said before today, he’s been on the go all winter and probably wants a holiday, but that holiday might be cut short now and we might look over the Irish Sea at a Galway Hurdle.”

Nights earns reward for fine season

Zain Nights signed off an excellent campaign on a high in the Pertemps Network Long Distance Handicap Hurdle.

Lucy Wadham’s charge lined up having won three of his previous four starts and was two from two since being stepped up to three miles in the spring.

The 4-1 favourite to complete his hat-trick in this £40,000 contest, Zain Nights moved powerfully throughout in the hands of Gavin Sheehan before knuckling down to get the better of game front-runner My Bobby Dazzler by a head.

“He’s unbeaten over three miles and he’s as tough as anything, now he’s got his jumping together he travels so well, being off the Flat, and he loves this good ground,” said Wadham.

“He’s a five-year-old who’s just improving. We’ll give him a summer break now, we were slightly umming and ahing about running today, but he came out of Cheltenham so well we thought we’d have one more run. I think we’ll stay hurdling next season and hopefully he’ll be good enough to go for something like the Pertemps Final (at the Cheltenham Festival), he’s going that way.”

Big plans for Shartash

Archie Watson is eyeing a step up to Group One level at Royal Ascot for Shartash after he made it two from two for the stable in the Pertemps Network Spring Trophy.

The four-year-old was a high-class juvenile for Johnny Murtagh a couple of seasons ago, striking Group Two gold in the Railway Stakes before running with credit in the Phoenix Stakes, the National Stakes and the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere before the end of the campaign.

But having failed to build on that promise last term, the son of Invincible Spirit was sold by the Aga Khan for €150,000 last September to resume his career in Britain with Watson.

Having been gelded during the off-season, Shartash made a successful start for his new connection in a small-field conditions event at Thirsk last month and he was a 6-1 shot to follow up in Listed company on Merseyside. Ridden by Joshua Bryan, Watson’s charge cruised to the front two furlongs from home and was always doing enough to see off the challenge of admirable veteran Pogo by a neck.

“He’s a proper horse and we’re delighted, I’m very grateful to John and Max Wright (of owners Weldspec Glasgow Limited) for sending him to us,” said Watson. “I think he was good value for €150,000 at the Arqana Sale and I think a winter on his back, but also gelding him, has been the key to him.

“We actually left him a colt over the winter because he was a good boy, but he was getting batted out of the way at home by 75-rated horses and I said to John ‘we need to geld this horse’.

“He wasn’t naughty in any way, but I’ve never seen more of a transformation in a horse – as soon as he’d been gelded, he started galloping with the Group horses like a Group horse and he’s shown it today.

“I think he can be versatile between six and seven furlongs, but I thought there he looked like a sprinter. If you stop that race at the furlong pole, he wins by three lengths and the miler has just got back at him to give him a fight.

“We’ll go straight to the (Queen Elizabeth II) Jubilee now and all those six and seven-furlong Group Ones this year he’ll be going for – the Prix Maurice de Gheest, the Foret, Champions Day at Ascot, those kind of races.”

Murtagh shows right Moves

The Richard Fahey-trained Silent Move (28/1) led from pillar to post in the Pertemps Network Handicap.

The Thirsk novice winner disappointed on his reappearance at Musselburgh, but bounced back under a well-judged ride from Connor Murtagh, who recently returned from a productive winter in Australia.

“On paper, it looked like there was a lot of pace in the race, but I started to get an easy time up front and I just started to build it up from four furlongs out,” said Murtagh.

“I had about 20 winners from 200 rides in five months (in Australia), it was a good spell but I got a little bit homesick and I thought I’d come back and chase the sun round this side of the world!”

Diva strikes for Barrons

Mereside Diva plundered the Pertemps Handicap for the training partnership of David and Nicola Barron.

Tackling seven furlongs for the first time, the 11-2 chance bagged her fourth career victory with a one-length verdict over Wreck It Ryley in the hands of Callum Rodriguez.

Nicola Barron said: “We were thinking she’d improve for a step up to seven, but until you’ve done it, you don’t know, do you? Thankfully, she’s done it well.

“We don’t really have any plans, as it was all hinging on whether she stayed seven furlongs or not, she’s also been running on bad ground, but that’s been by accident really because of the weather.

“Whether it was the seven furlongs or the better ground, everything has come together today, so we’ll see where the year takes us.”