'It's unbelievable' - Patrick Neville enjoys 287-1 treble

The Real Whacker, second favourite for next month's Brown Advisory Novices' Chase, had been Patrick Neville’s only winning horse this season before the trainer landed a 287-1 treble at Catterick on Monday.

Neville, who spent almost two years as assistant trainer to Ann Duffield before taking out his own licence in Britain in November, was responsible for three of the five runners in the opening two contests at the North Yorkshire venue.

Gavin Sheehan helped Fiston Du Mou overturn the Brian Hughes-ridden odds-on favourite Creative Control in the 3m1f novice handicap chase. Hughes then guided the outsider of the three in the 3m1½f mares’ novice hurdle, Not Staying Long, to her first win under rules.

Hughes got the better of Sheehan in the 2m3f handicap hurdle which followed, with Kavanaghs Cross prevailing by half a length over Glentruan to complete a one-two for Neville and a first treble of his training career.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Neville. “It couldn’t have gone any better. The ground was a major factor. We ran a few horses here over Christmas and the ground was just very heavy and it didn’t work out so we waited for a bit of nice ground and it worked out.”

Neville is based just over ten miles away from Catterick in Leyburn having spent 15 years training in Limerick. “The racing over here isn’t any easier, it’s still as competitive as Ireland,” he said. “There’s more of it and less runners in the fields but there’s no easy races here. That’s why I chose to come here, because there are more options.”

On his stable star The Real Wacker, last seen winning the Grade 2 Dipper Novices' Chase on New Year’s Day, Neville added: “I couldn't be happier with him. He’s absolutely buzzing at the moment. I took him out of the other race [Turners] but he’s still in the Gold Cup and the Brown Advisory so we’ll see nearer the time on the ground and who’s in and out [of the races].”

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