Saturday horse racing results & analysis: David Ord reflects on the action

On a day when racing’s juggernauts began to click into top gear, it was a man whose influence was expected to wane this season who must have been sporting the widest of smiles.

Trevor Hemmings has been a huge supporter of the National Hunt scene on both sides of the Irish Sea for decades now but earlier this year, as Covid-19 ravaged the economy, sport and life in general, he decided to cut back.

It wasn’t an easy decision for a man who has seen his famous white, green and yellow silks grace racecourses for 36 years – and it was one with repercussions.

Twenty-two trainers raced Hemmings horses in the 2019/2020 season yet 56 jumpers from that string headed to Goffs for a dispersal sale in September.

But some were retained – and for a man with a much-documented love affair with the Randox Health Grand National, Cloth Cap was never going to be heading up the A1 to the Doncaster sales ring.

Instead Jonjo O’Neill fitted him with cheekpieces for the first time and Tom Scudamore did the rest, pushing him to the front as the tapes rose for the Ladbrokes Trophy before the pair jumped their rivals ragged.

There were several prodigious leaps, but the one at the fourth last which basically ended any hope for his pursuers was breathtaking.

He bounded to the line to win by ten lengths and earn enough of the handicapper’s wrath to ensure he'll sneak into the Aintree showpiece in April.

All roads now lead there and given good ground he’s a leading player. Hemmings had won the Ladbrokes Trophy twice before and Many Clouds memorably struck at Aintree in the spring following his Newbury triumph.

The omens are good – as they are for Epatante retaining her crown in the Unibet Champion Hurdle.

Not So Sleepy threatened to steal at least some of her spotlight in the Betfair Fighting Fifth when jinking and unseating Paddy Brennan at the first before carrying out Silver Streak at the next obstacle.

Thankfully he decided that was him done for day. It left Sceau Royal in front much sooner than Daryl Jacob would have liked but however the cards had fallen he wouldn’t have coped with Epatante.

There’s no finer sight in hurdling than a top-notcher with a genuine turn of foot and that’s what we have here. Aidan Coleman, back aboard following the retirement of Barry Geraghty, couldn’t hide his delight as she went through the gears after the last to win in style.

Christmas Hurdle and then to Cheltenham it is for the reigning champ and the dangers to her title defence were probably looking over their boxes in Closutton and Cullentra House in Ireland on Saturday night – unless Nicky Henderson is going to produce one of the greatest feats of his remarkable training career and bring Buveur D’Air back to concert pitch after a year on the sidelines.

At Newbury, Next Destination, a leading staying novice hurdler with Willie Mullins in the spring of 2018, continued his road back to the top by making a winning start over fences in the Ladbrokes John Francome Novices' Chase.

He showed the fire still burned on his first start for Paul Nicholls last month, running on into second in the West Yorkshire Hurdle. There was no bounce factor with his second outing; it was a pleasing performance and one that confirmed not only are the wheels are still on, but that he’s upwardly mobile too.

He’ll need to be as his former trainer had unleashed Monkfish over fences at Fairyhouse only an hour earlier and he looked a complete natural as he beat stablemate Ontheropes with the minimum of fuss.

That win was part of a treble on the card for Mullins which also featured Concertista laying down a significant marker for the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham with a winning reappearance that oozed class.

Defending champion Honeysuckle gets the chance to post an immediate response in the deeper waters of Sunday’s Hatton’ Grace Hurdle.

The season is gathering momentum nicely.