'I thought he was a very big price' - veteran Abaya Du Mathan runs out easy winner despite double-figure odds

Gary Hanmer: struck with Abaya Du MathanCredit: John Grossick Racing

Abaya Du Mathan caused a 16-1 shock in the 2m handicap chase but trainer Gary Hanmer was more surprised at the veteran's starting price.

Available at 22-1 in places on the morning of the race, the 12-year-old received late support before scoring by seven and a half lengths from Extraordinary Man.

After the race had cut up – with Haafback unseating his jockey and three of the other seven runners being pulled up – Abaya Du Mathan stayed on strongly to record his third win for the yard and 12th in all.

Hanmer said: "It was an action-packed race, but he won it well and I thought he was a very big price. Yesterday I said to the owners that 20-1 seemed pretty large to me, but with the way the race happened it's probably fallen into his lap a little bit."

All three of Abaya Du Mathan's wins for Hanmer have come over two miles and the trainer added: "He's very genuine and honest. He always does his best.

"The owners are delighted. They bought him to have a bit of fun and go racing, which they're doing, and he's paying his way, which is even better. He wears his heart on his sleeve and seems to enjoy what he's doing, which counts for a lot with a horse his age."

Form continues

There was another surprise when the Emma Lavelle-trained One Knight scored a 25-1 success in the 2m bumper. It was the five-year-old's first run for Lavelle, who took her strike-rate to 24 per cent in the past fortnight with five winners from 21 runners.

Read these next:

'He's gorgeous to look at' - four more Willie Mullins big guns set to be unleashed in December

Go racing this December: the best racedays to visit, from beer festivals to Britain's friendliest track