'It’s a struggle but it makes it all worth doing' - Crazy Maisie ends trainer's nine-month wait for a winner

Chelmsford’s additional fixture proved popular with Mark Hoad as Crazy Maisie’s success in the 1m2f handicap ended a 282-day wait for a winner for the trainer.

Crazy Maisie was beaten a short head on her penultimate start at Lingfield, but a return to the same trip as that narrow defeat helped the four-year-old record her first success for Hoad on her 12th start since joining from Ivan Furtado.

Hoad has six horses in training at his Lewes yard and enjoyed his best season since 2010 with four winners last year. On his first winner since February, he said: "It’s been a while. It’s a struggle but it makes it all worth doing. It makes all these early mornings and long days worthwhile."

Crazy Maisie’s victory under Robert Havlin was a second winner of the season for Hoad, who added: "The original plan was to go to Kempton on the 20th, but when they put this extra fixture on it was a no-brainer to come.

"She went hurdling last year on soft ground and she had such a hard race at Huntingdon. She just went backwards from then onwards. She had a holiday for two or three months and she’s come back all good."

Gamble landed

Magnum Opus was available at 16-1 less than two hours before the mile maiden, but late money for the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained juvenile was well placed as the son of Invincible Spirit got off the mark at the third attempt.

Backed into 4-1 despite defeats at Yarmouth and Salisbury, Magnum Opus made a successful all-weather debut under Ross Coakley.

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