'He ran a cracker at Newbury and was spot on when winning at Ascot last month'

The state-of-the-art Fingerpost Farm base of Evan Williams is enjoying another fine season with big races already in the bag.

The admirably tough Coole Cody continued his plunder of big handicaps when landing the Racing Post Gold Cup before Christmas, while just seven days later Annsam added the Howden Silver Cup at Ascot. But it was the success of Dans Le Vent in the Grade 3 Betfair Exchange Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle at Haydock that brings about the biggest smile from Williams.

“I was the proudest I have ever been when my daughter Isobel won that race,” Williams says. “She has taken a lot of flak riding for her father, which is to be expected, but she does everything with this horse and the whole thing was down to her. So, seeing her bring him home in a big race like that was really something.”