Free Range looks a bargain as he cracks rivals on hurdles debut

It is rare that dual Irish point-to-pointers winners make as little as £10,000 when they are sent to the sales, however that was the price tag for Free Range and it looks as though his joint owner Craig Buckingham, who bought him at Doncaster in May, has secured a bit of a bargain.

The seven-year-old, sent off at 5-1, made a winning debut in his colours by making all the running in the 2m 'national hunt' novice hurdle under Harry Skelton.

Admittedly it took him until his eighth race to win his first point-to-point, but he looks a horse with a bright future. Skelton reported that the sharp track wasn't ideal for him post-race and he is likely to do even better when he runs over further.