'Unbelievable' recovery by Joe Colliver wins the day for RSA hope Sam Spinner

What goes up must come down but it doesn't always end landing on a Grade 2 winner, as Joe Colliver did when making a miraculous recovery to triumph at Doncaster.

He was fired high out of the saddle when Sam Spinner made a jumping error at the sixth-last fence in the bet365 December Novices' Chase, where Aye Right unseated Callum Bewley.

Not only did he scramble back into the saddle, he kept his classy mount going and steered him to a 38-length victory over Windsor Avenue, the only other finisher.

Colliver is back in the plate

"I could see Brian in the shadow behind me going to the ditch and I thought 'right, I'll try and ask for a big one and try and nick a few here'," Colliver recounted.

"That was the only fence he put down on me at. When I was up in the air I thought 'please god he'll be there when I come down!', because that's how much time I had up in the air. Luckily enough he was there. He had a little look at the next and after that he was good and bold."

Colliver had been determined to give Sam Spinner, now unbeaten in three chases, a good view of the fences after an alarm at the first.

"I was in behind them and it almost caught him off guard," he said. "He had a little bit of a wander at it, after that I gave him a bold sight of everything.

"He's got plenty of scope and he'll go for you or he'll put down like you saw at the ditch. The quicker they go in a better race, with more horses around him pushing him on, you'll see a better Sam Spinner."

Trainer Jedd O'Keeffe was full of praise for the jockey and said: "That was unbelievable. When I saw what happened I just covered my eyes and thought 'even if he stays on him he can't win having made that mistake' but he did.

"We got a bit lucky today but aside from that I was absolutely thrilled with his jumping, it was excellent apart from that mistake. A lot of credit has to go to Joe, he gave him a bold ride.

"We've said all along that our main target is the RSA Chase at Cheltenham. Working back from there we don't really have many options. It will probably be another Grade 2, either the Towton at Wetherby or the Reynoldstown at Ascot."

Windsor Avenue was sent off 4-5 favourite and trainer Brian Ellison said: "That's not his running. He frightened himself at the first and after that he was never really going.

"He didn't like the ground. Brian said he was beaten coming past the stands the first time. But we'll definitely drop him back in trip."

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