'He was entitled to do that' - Imperial Alex reigns as Stan Sheppard and Tom Lacey land double

Stan Sheppard hopes Imperial Alex can continue moving in the right direction after he followed up a success at Chepstow this month when landing the odds in the 3m handicap chase, the second leg of a double for the jockey and trainer Tom Lacey.

The seven-year-old, who was sent off 4-7, easily got the better of Ballynagran by 11 lengths and the victory continued Imperial Alex’s excellent consistency as he has finished in the top three in his last nine runs.

"He was entitled to do that," said Sheppard. "Some of his form puts him a lot higher than his rating because he’s finished second so many times. 

"He’s bumped into some good rivals and we’ve found the right races for him and he’s duly won, which is about time really.

"He had the 7lb penalty today and it was the last day he could have run before going up to his new mark, so he’s had as much time as he could and he’s gone in again, so hopefully he can keep going in the right direction."

Sheppard and Lacey were earlier on the mark when Montregard took the 2m5½f handicap hurdle.

The jockey said: "He needs the hustle and bustle of a competitive handicap and I think you saw that today. He travelled well but he only jumped okay, which is a surprise because he’s very good at home."

Pipe's dream run

David Pipe continued his red-hot form as Royal Mer easily justified favouritism in the 1m7f handicap chase.

The six-year-old was making it four wins this season when going six and a half lengths clear of Contre Ordre. It was his trainer's sixth winner from 24 runners in the past fortnight.

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