'If he had to pull it out of the fire, today wasn't a bad day for it' - Joe Cotton finally returns to winning ways in feature chase

Joe Cotton may have been a frustrating case for Jeremy Scott but he finally came good when it mattered with victory in the feature £40,000 chase series final under Rex Dingle.

The seven-year-old had been placed in all seven starts in the 12 months since his last success, having failed to see out the finish, but first-time blinkers proved effective in the 2m3½f contest and he saw off favourite Good Friday Fairy by a length. 

"I'm particularly delighted as he's been frustratingly consistent without winning," said Scott. "For the owners I was thrilled that the headgear seemed to make a difference. It was a valuable race and if he had to pull it out of the fire one day, today wasn't a bad day for it."

The £20,000 prize pot for the winner saw Joe Cotton more than double his earnings total, having scored just once before in a handicap chase in testing conditions last March. While he has shown his versatility with this triumph on good ground, Scott is unlikely to send him out again this spring.  

"He runs on every single type of ground but I imagine we'll probably stop there, he's earned himself a holiday," he said.

Boston bounces back

The somewhat notorious reputation of Boston Boy received an encouraging boost when he claimed a first win under Jonjo O'Neill Jr in the 2m1½f maiden hurdle.

The six-year-old had run out at the second-last in two of his last four starts but was a more professional operator this time, battling past Kalif D'Airy to win by half a length.

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