'He's finally come good' - Dartnall all smiles as Haldon Hill ends winless run

Friday: Ffos Las

Trainer Victor Dartnall believes Haldon Hill's luck is changing for the better after he ended a run of 14 appearances without victory.

The JP McManus nine-year-old's unwelcome record stretched back to 2018, but he brushed aside his six rivals in the 2m5f handicap chase for a second career success.

Dartnall said: "He’s been an unlucky horse over the last couple of seasons as he had a wind op at the wrong time. We lost a lot of time there, but he’s now shown what he’s capable of and I’m very pleased because he jumped very well.

"He slipped at Ludlow last year because there was a shower of rain on good ground about an hour before the race and it made it very difficult for him. We’ve had a bit of bad luck, but the ground was good today and he hit the line well."

Haldon Hill is not the first time Dartnall has trained a winner for McManus, but the novelty never wears off.

He added: "He's finally come good for him. I trained a horse called Benetwood, who won eight times, and it’s always good to do it for him."

Pipe in the pink

David Pipe warmed up for the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury when Eden Du Houx landed the feature 2m3½f handicap chase.

The trainer has two serious contenders in Gericault Roque and Remastered for Newbury’s feature on Saturday and the eight-year-old showed the stable was in form when finishing nine and a half lengths clear of favourite Blackjack Magic.

Results, replays and analysis

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