Jessie can lay down law in stamina test

AFTER four wonderful days at Cheltenham, the jumping bandwagon rolls on up the road to Uttoxeter, where the 18-runner John Smith’s Midlands Grand National Handicap Chase (3.15) is run over four miles and half a furlong.

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Bertie's buster

BERTIES DREAM was another nightmare for punters as he led home a stream of outsiders in the Alfred Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

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James a National Treasure

TRAINER Derek Barry can cap a good week for the Irish by saddling the winner of the John Smith Midlands Grand National today.

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PORT'S FESTIVAL CALL

ABOVE: EASY RIDE: Burton Port

9th February 2010

By Peter Thickett

NICKY HENDERSON further emphasised his strength in the novice chase division with Burton Port an impressive winner at Southwell yesterday.

He already has the fi rst two in the RSA Chase market with Punchestowns and Long Run (due to appear at Warwick on Saturday) and Stan James cut Burton Port to 20-1 from 33s.

Sky Bet are a bit longer at 25s. Barry Geraghty was always travelling strongly and he had the race won at the second last.

A fluent leap over that obstacle - and the final fence - confirmed the victory, Burton Port going on to slam The Sliotar by 14 lengths.

Matt Doyle of Sky Bet said: “Although Burton Port adds further strength in depth to Henderson’s squad for the RSA, he was easily brushed aside by Diamond Harry over the Fixed Brush Hurdles at Haydock earlier this season.”

Alan King admitted to being close to the end of his tether with Bakbenscher (7-2) but the grey earned some forgiveness by winning the Novices’ Chase at Lingfi eld yesterday.

The useful hurdler has struggled for con- sistency over fences, unseating his rider at Warwick recently, but he jumped nicely and outsprinted Chariot Charger (15-8 favourite) on a run-in lengthened by the dolling-off of
the final obstacle.

“I’ve tried everything with him, so Chris- tian Williams schooled him this morning with the sheepskin noseband on, then we put him in the box and took him here,” said King.

“He showed he can jump well today. I don’t know what we’ll do now.

“We had always thought the William Hill Trophy was the race for him, but we might be better just fi nding him another novice.”