Truckers Highway looks a young horse on the up and won his second race inside a week in the Ivy Novices' Handicap Chase at Leicester.
Truckers Highway looks a young horse on the up and won his second race inside a week in the Ivy Novices' Handicap Chase at Leicester.
Only six, trainer John Groucott applied a hood for the first time at Ludlow seven days ago and it transformed him.
He made all there, bounding clear for an eight-length win, and despite a 7lb penalty in a better race, he won even easier under Harry Challoner.
Quite what the handicapper will do to him is anyone's guess and Groucott feels he may have to get him out again quickly for his hat-trick attempt.
"He's loved it today and it's nice for his owner Mr Tipton, who also owned Pret A Thou, the last horse who was pretty good for us," said Groucott of the 3-1 winner.
"We'll have to look at all the options now, he could go up a fair bit.
"The main thing is that he's all right in the morning, but he hasn't had a race there so it won't have taken much out of him.
"What pleased me most was his jumping, Leicester's fences take some jumping but he landed running at all of them."
Alan King labelled Handsome Man (9-1) "above average" after his victory in the Racing Excellence Conditional Jockeys' Training Series Novices' Hurdle, providing William Featherstone with his first winner in the process.
King said: "I'm really pleased with that, he's a smashing horse, very straightforward.
"I was slightly nervous about the ground today and he might just have a big future.
"He jumped super and will stay further, but we'll be in no rush with him. He's above average, I think."
The good run of Dan and Harry Skelton continued with the victory of Bekkensfirth in the Yuletide Novices' Limited Handicap Chase.
Running over fences for the first time, the 12-1 shot pulled 13 lengths clear of Lovely Job.
Harrry Skelton also partnered Caroline Bailey's Edward Elgar (7-2) to victory in the Mistletoe Selling Hurdle. There was no bid for the winner.
Nigel Twiston-Davies saddled a double, with the famous Wally Sturt colours carried to victory by Valid Point (8-1) in the SIS Handicap Chase.
"He disappointed over hurdles first time out but that was more like it," said Twiston-Davies of the Mark Grant-ridden winner.
His son Sam was on board Goodbye Dancer (8-1) in the Advent Handicap Hurdle.
The winning rider said: "We'd always kept him away from soft ground and run him in the summer but he lost his way. We thought we'd try something different and it's worked out."