Long journey to Northumberland pays dividends for Pipe and Scudamore

It is a 336-mile journey from David Pipe's West Country base to Hexham and Know The Score fully justified his trainer's northern raid when running out a comfortable eight-length winner of the opening 2m maiden hurdle.

Sent off 4-9 favourite, the five-year-old, who finished 14th in the Champion Bumper last March, had made a pleasing start to to his hurdling career when third at Chepstow last month and took another step forward under the ever-excellent Tom Scudamore.

Scudamore, who had travelled to Hexham just for one ride, said: "He's improving with every run and seemed to really handle the conditions – the further he went the better.