'He's in the zone at home' - Syd Hosie hopes well-handicapped winner can go in again next week at Exeter

Good thing alert: you may want to tune in for the opening handicap hurdle at Exeter next Thursday (December 18) because Thankyouandplease will attempt to go in again.

The confidence is not based just on the ease he justified 5-2 joint-favouritism, but a quirk in the handicap system which means he would run off a 1lb lower mark than he bolted up off here.

Thankyouandplease ran off a mark of 96, but had already been dropped 1lb for his third at Plumpton on December 1. 

Although the Leicester opener came too soon for that reassessment to take effect, Exeter in eight days' time will also come too soon for any reassessment for this victory – meaning this winner off 96 will line up in the Exeter 0-100 with a rating of 95.  

It was a first winner of the season for trainer Syd Hosie, and a 13th career success for jockey Chad Bament, and the winning trainer regretted not being present for the success.

Hosie said: "I wish I went now! I've a bit of a cold, so I convinced my partner Grace into going for me, but it was worth the trip!

"He didn't come off the bridle. I've always thought a lot of him but it didn't go his way at Plumpton. He's in the zone at home, so we got him back out quickly, and we'll do the same again as he can go off 95 at Exeter next Thursday.

"He's in at Taunton [on Thursday] and it's tempting, but the ground would be too quick for him. Logically, a bit of time to Exeter should help and he can go in again hopefully. We've been knocking on the door, hopefully we're hitting a purple patch now and he can add to it next week."

Champion Bumper fourth flops again

Caballero Cliff, the 150-1 fourth-placed finisher just over three lengths behind Bambino Fever in the Champion Bumper, took his record over hurdles to two runs and two distant finishes, bettering last month's 31-length sixth with a 28-length fifth in the 1m7½f maiden hurdle won by 5-1 shot The Cistercian.

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