Jane Williams' new 'aggressive' style pays off as In Rem lands hat-trick

Thursday: Wincanton

Jane Williams learned last season she had to be more "aggressive" with her training methods and a new attitude towards her horses' homework continues to be rewarded.

Three of the stable's seven winners this season have come courtesy of In Rem, who continued his remarkable run of form with a seven-length romp in the 3m½f novice handicap hurdle.

The success leaves Williams just five winners short of her personal best, achieved in the 2018-19 season.

"It's been an amazing start to the season," Williams said. "We've got a good team of owners and staff at home, and a very strong bunch of horses with nice pedigrees. The system we've got seems to work, Chester [Williams] does the race planning and it's been solid.

"We had a good end to last season. I got it wrong and waited too long and didn't push the button early enough. Now we've been a bit more aggressive with our training, more positive. It's all about winding them up a bit quicker.

"We've only got 20 horses in and some of those are babies, so we're managing to produce a good bunch of winners from a relatively small team. It just seems to be working."

Things could get even better too. Williams will attempt to land a first Grade 1 winner in her own name later this month with Saint Segal set to contest the Finale Juvenile Hurdle on Welsh Grand National day.

She added: "Watching Saint Segal win at Bangor last month lit up my day, no, my week. It was an amazing performance and he's the one who excites me most; he could be anything."

Tizzard double

Colin Tizzard landed the two Class 3 prizes on the card, first with Butterwick Brook and followed by 25-1 outsider The Widdow Maker in the 2m handicap hurdle.

Butterwick Brook (red): winner of the Silver Buck Handicap ChaseCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Despite his long odds, success was no surprise for confident winning owner Sax Purdie, who said: "I backed him heavily at 33s, I couldn't believe it. I thought he should be 5-1 or 6-1."

Butterwick Brook gave Tizzard a third consecutive victory in the Silver Buck Handicap Chase, following on from Copperhead and Darlac. It was a special win too as Tizzard's mother Marjorie and uncle Edward are both part of the victorious Butterwick syndicate.

'We go a long way back'

Will Biddick and Sam Thomas enjoyed a landmark new chapter in their 16-year friendship, as Biddick rode his first winner for the burgeoning trainer in the 2m4f amateur handicap chase when partnering 11-8 favourite Galileo Silver.

"I lived with Sam when I was 18 at Venetia's [Williams] and we've become best mates," Biddick said. "I'm 34 now and will be one of his best men when he gets married next year. We go a long way back, this means a bit."

Favourite obliges

Rainyday Woman – winner of a Huntingdon's Listed mares' bumper last season – got off the mark over jumps with a comfortable 11-length win in the 2m5½f mares' novice hurdle.

Results, replays and analysis

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