Haydock Saturday review: Moon Chime springs 33/1 Swinton surprise

And so it proved again on Saturday with 33/1 outsider Moon Chime, whose last win was at Hexham almost exactly a year ago, leaving the bookmakers smiling when getting up in the final strides to snatch the £80,000 prize under conditional Nick Slatter, who was enjoying the biggest win of his career.

It had looked as though Laafi, disqualified for his jockey breaking the whip rules when being first past the post at Aintree last month, was going to land significant compensation when Philip Byrnes led over the last aboard the top weight.

However Slatter galvanised his partner on the short run-in and his partner picked up to win by a neck with Dance and Glance third.

The welll-backed 5/2 favourite Tellherthename for the Skelton’s was last turning for home and finished well beaten.

It just wasn’t the Durkan’s and Byrnes’ day as they also had to settle for second place in the opening Pertemps Network Long Distance Handicap Hurdle on Britain’s only mixed race card.

They were represented by top weight Eagle Fang who led down the home straight only for Matty’s Getaway, the second runner of the summer season for Kim Bailey and Matt Nicholls, to pass him going to the last and staying on well to win by three-quarters-of-a-length.

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