Kripticjim continued his progress with a hard-fought victory in the Amber River Life Landscaping EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury.
Five-year-old Joe Tizzard had won nicely at Ascot last time, but was fined for that success.
Although his task was made somewhat easier by the withdrawal of the promising Starzand, he still had to contend with Daydream Nation, trained in Ireland by William Harvey, and Ben Pauling’s point-to-point winner Trial By Jury, who received plenty of late support.
The three main players in the market were battling it out from afar and although Kripticjim’s jumping had been good along the way, it fell apart somewhat under pressure, giving Trial By Jury a chance.
However, the 6-5 favorite dug deep for Brendan Powell to win by three-quarters of a length.
Garth Broom, who owns the winner with his wife Anne under the Brocade Racing banner, said: “He was a good player, wasn’t he, and I think he’s still learning a bit, but we think he’s a nice, improving horse.
‘We have no plans at the moment for further than today, but he will have to go a step further, you would think.
“He has now qualified for the EBF Final and I’m not sure if that will be the goal, but normally the trainer tells us and he’s not there!
“It was very nice, although there is a penalty and we will be forced to look for something better, you would think, but at the moment I have no idea.”
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