Rebecca Menzies revels in career-best season after Road Warrior lands hat-trick

Trainer Rebecca Menzies hailed her team at home as her career-best season continued with a victory for Road Warrior, who brought up his hat-trick after landing the 2m3½f handicap chase in dominant fashion.

The seven-year-old followed up wins at this track and Newcastle with an 11-length success under 7lb claimer Kane Yeoman to provide Menzies with a 26th winner of the campaign, far eclipsing the 21 she racked up in 2018-19.

Menzies, who began her training career in 2013, has sent out more than 200 runners for the first time and said: “I’m absolutely delighted with how the season has gone. We’ve been slowly growing and getting a better quality of horse in the yard, but we’ve got a great team now with brilliant facilities.

"My plan through the summer is to keep building and we’ve got some nice young horses coming through."

On Road Warrior, Menzies added: “He’s really one to look out for next winter. He’d been running some really good races in defeat but he just needed time because he’s a very big horse."

Skelton maintains lead

A quiet day in the race to be champion jockey saw Harry Skelton maintain his eight-winner lead over Brian Hughes after both drew blanks from their combined 14 rides.

Hughes narrowly averted disaster in the first when his mount Malpas, who was clear and travelling strongly, fell two out before another faller collided with the champion jockey, who thankfully was none the worse for the incident.

Skelton was a runner-up on four occasions and also picked up a four-day ban for careless riding on Dubai Guest in the 2m5f handicap hurdle, but the suspension only comes into effect from May 4-7 so will not affect his pursuit of a first champion jockey title.

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