'I ran him in the worst race in the world and he looked useless - but a wind op has made all the difference'

The seven-race card was blighted by 23 non-runners but Kansas Du Berlais turned up and won in style when defying a penalty in the 2m3f novice hurdle.

There were 18 absentees due to the drying ground officially described as good, but it posed no problems for the striking four-year-old. 

The grey son of Martaline made all to win unchallenged by 18 lengths and he could be in for a swift reappearance on the final day of the jumps season at Sandown on Saturday week.

His trainer Gary Moore said: "He wasn't cheap from France and he broke my heart first time when I ran him in the worst race in the world and he looked useless, but he's had a wind operation and it has made all the difference. 

"I'm not sure how strong the race was but he jumped nicely and did it easily, he's gradually improving and gaining confidence. All being well he'll run next Saturday in the novice handicap hurdle at Sandown."

Hargreaves seals the double

The trainer sealed a double when Tara Iti took advantage of Mickyh's fall at the final flight in the 2m1½f handicap hurdle, with conditional Rob Hargreaves celebrating a second winner over jumps.

Moore said: "Rob is a hard-working lad who struggles a bit with his weight and today couldn't have been easy for him, so it shows his dedication. I couldn't be more pleased for him."

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