'This makes it worthwhile' - Bring The Action lands a poignant success

Thursday: Wetherby

What is 300 miles when success means so much to you? That is what owner Tim Holmes reckoned after Bring The Action's hard-fought short-head victory in the conditional jockeys' handicap chase.

Bring The Action was just the second horse Devon-based trainer Nigel Hawke had sent to Wetherby this season, and the six-year-old made it third time lucky over fences under Kieren Buckley for a poignant success for Holmes.

"I'd normally be jumping up and down, but this is a bit emotional, to say the least," said Holmes. "My wife Claire and I bought this horse, and she died last November.

"It's brilliant he's won. It's a long drive up from Devon – I set off at 5.30am and picked her daughter Kaitlyn up in Leeds – but this makes it worthwhile."

First for Frost

Bryony Frost rode her first winner at the West Yorkshire track when partnering Lucy Wadham's Graystone to victory in the 2m juvenile hurdle, getting the better of the well-backed Dan Skelton-trained favourite Message Personnel.

It would have been a third win in a row for the four-year-old, who was cut to 12-1 from 16s with Sky Bet for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, had he not fallen when leading at the final flight at Taunton last month.

Frost said: "The work has gone in at home to get his confidence up after our mishap at Taunton. It wasn't his fault, he jumped it great and his landing gear buckled. There were nice horses in this race and he showed he stays."

Sholokjack, Skelton's other favourite on the card, made no mistake when taking the 2m novice hurdle in impressive fashion.

Momentous moment for Moscrop

Mr Whipped had the likes of Paisley Park behind him when winning the Grade 2 Leamington Novices' Hurdle for Nicky Henderson in 2018 and demonstrated his class to land the feature 2m3½f handicap chase on what was a landmark winning ride for Nathan Moscrop.

It was a 75th career success for Moscrop, meaning that the rider has now fully ridden out his claim. It was also the nine-year-old's first win for trainer Brian Ellison, who himself was completing a quickfire double after Son Of The Somme had taken the previous race.

Limetree off the mark

Limetree Boy, who finished just four lengths behind subsequent Listed winner Hillcrest on his debut at Aintree in November, stayed on strongest to deny market rivals Lupus Regem and Risk D'Argent in division one of the 2m novice hurdle.

A faller on his second start at Warwick in December, Limetree Boy was at ease dropping back in trip and winning trainer Jonjo O'Neill is already excited about the prospect of going chasing.

“He's still a raw baby but is a lovely, big, chasing type and that’s where his future lies," said O'Neill. "Hopefully we can plot a nice spring campaign with him. It is great for his owners Mary and Mike Gaskell.”

Results, replays and analysis

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