Injured Danny McMenamin hailed as 'key' to Broadway Joe's hat-trick

Monday: Musselburgh

Nick Alexander praised sidelined jockey Danny McMenamin as "the key" to unlocking the remarkable improvement of Broadway Joe this season after he maintained his perfect chasing record with a wide-margin success in the 2m4½f novice handicap chase.

The seven-year-old won once over hurdles but landed a quickfire hat-trick over fences with a nine-and-a-half-length win under Brian Hughes, who doubled up after odds-on favourite River Walk's victory in the opening 2m4f maiden hurdle.

Broadway Joe won his first two chase starts at Kelso and over course-and-distance in November under last season's champion conditional McMenamin, who is likely to miss the busy festive period with a broken collarbone he suffered at the track earlier this month.

"I feel very sorry for Danny as he's found the key to him. It's rotten luck for him but he'll be back not before long, for sure," Alexander told Racing TV.

"He's continuing to be a nice surprise each time. I always thought he'd be a better horse than he showed over hurdles as his best asset is he's a good jumper.

"He was the only runner who ran his true race today, but it's always nice to have an improving horse on your hands as you never know when they'll stop. He could come back here on New Year's Day but three wins is always tremendous and you don't want to get greedy."

McCann made for Musselburgh

Musselburgh continued to be Midlothian-born jockey Conner McCann's happy hunting ground as he notched another victory, all of which have come at his local track, on Emirat De Catana in the three-mile conditional jockeys' handicap hurdle.

The seven-year-old was a game winner by a length to take the 10lb claimer's total to three, all of which have come for his boss Lucinda Russell.

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