Olly Murphy fulsome in praise for Lewis Saunders after Bread And Butter completes hat-trick

Olly Murphy could not have been more fulsome in his praise of Lewis Saunders following Bread And Butter’s victory at Huntington, which is in stark contrast to how things were earlier in the week.

“He got a right rollicking at Southwell but that’s learning for you,” Murphy said, referencing the defeat of favourite Berkenshtaaap. “I worked for Gordon Elliott and Alan King and if you made mistakes you got a rollicking. 

“In this day and age you can’t do it too often, you have to be careful. But he’s a good young lad, he got a rollicking and he bounced back from it and gave the horse a really good ride today.”

Saunders was guiding Bread And Butter to a third victory in a row when scoring in the 2m4½f conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle, with Murphy particularly impressed with the sit-and-pounce tactics his rider employed in testing conditions.

Murphy said: “In fairness to him he’s a very talented young lad, who’s learning the whole time. He hasn’t got a lot of experience.

“There’s only one winning post on heavy ground, so there’s no point being in front at the top of the home straight. The horse is thriving."

Laurens Bay gives Hong Kong pals win

On a day when Hong Kong hosted its feature raceday with the Longines International races taking place at Sha Tin, it was appropriate that a group of friends who met in the city were able to celebrate a success as well.

Victory for the Happy Valley Partnership came a long way from the racecourse their group is named after, but Laurens Bay certainly marked himself out as a useful performer when surging late to defeat HMS President in the 2m novice hurdle.

Trainer Jamie Snowden said: “He’s an absolutely smashing horse. This is a horse we love and he’s just a big, raw individual so whatever he achieves over hurdles is going to be a bonus and we won’t aim too high as he’s going to be a lovely chaser next season. 

“I don’t think he’s ready for a handicap yet as he’s quite green and immature, so we’ll go for a novice with a penalty and gently work our way with him.”

Winning start

Clotilda looked an unusual addition to the Paul Nicholls stable given she was a maiden after eight starts in France over both hurdles and fences.

However, when you consider the key driver in her purchase was to provide owner David Staddon with plenty of action through the winter it made a lot more sense – especially when she put her experience to good use as she made a winning start for her new connections in the 2m juvenile maiden hurdle.

“We expected her to win and we’ll go to Taunton on December 30, either for a juvenile hurdle or a fillies’ race,” Nicholls said. “She should give her owner some good fun through the winter and that is what we wanted. She’ll gallop all day, loves the mud and she’ll get further as well.”

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