'One ride and one nice winner' - Harry Cobden back level with Sean Bowen in title race

Harry Cobden kept tabs on jockeys' championship rival Sean Bowen when scoring on ex-German racer Lario, his sole mount at the Sussex track in the 2m maiden hurdle.

Cobden levelled things up again on 122 winners with Bowen, who had earlier won the opening race at Catterick. A 9-2 chance, Lario did not get further than the first flight on his debut at Sedgefield in December and found this a gentle hurdling test as six of the nine hurdles were bypassed due to low sun.

The Anthony Charlton-trained winner looked out of it jumping the last down the back, but his superior speed enabled him to get back into it and sink fellow Flat recruit HMS President up the hill.

"That was nice – one ride and one nice winner," Cobden told Sky Sports Racing. "I've no rides tomorrow so I'm off to Salisbury to get some beef cattle for the farm. After that I'm at Fontwell on Wednesday and Fakenham on Friday before Ascot on Saturday."

Gordon at the double

Chris Gordon's string is in excellent form after a spell of sickness and he registered his second double in the space of four days.

It was initiated by San Pedro, who was given a canny ride by the trainer's son Freddie to land the opening 3m1f conditional jockeys' handicap hurdle.

The 5-1 chance left the front-running pair Hill Of Tara and Good News to get on with it on the first two circuits until creeping into contention late on, and the result was never in doubt when he surged to the front on the home turn.

Freddie Gordon said: "It's all coming together now and the horses are running better. We got a nice tow into the race and he finished off very well."

Chris Gordon had won the two legs of the bumper at Kempton on Friday on horses partnered by Rex Dingle, and the jockey got in on the act here when Alto Alto just got up to complete the double in the 2m1f handicap chase.

The 15-8 chance came from a couple of lengths down rounding the home turn to deny favourite Prince Quali by a head.

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