Phil Kirby planning shorter trip next time with long-distance Lady

What's an 18-hour day and a near 500-mile round-trip when you win a £40,000 chase with one of the most exciting mares in the country?

That was the view of 'have horsebox, will travel' trainer Phil Kirby, who had little time to pause and reflect on a job well done after his long-distance smash-and-grab raid on Newbury with Lady Buttons on Saturday.

"You'd go anywhere if you're going to win races like that, wouldn't you?" reflected Kirby, who had no chance of a Sunday lie-in at his North Yorkshire base as he had to drive to Carlisle and lead up Suggestion in the £35,000 2m1f handicap hurdle – although it wasn't quite so early a start as had been the case 24 hours earlier.