Rock On Fruity gives Haslam yard another reason to celebrate

Ben Haslam's Christmas party will be extra special after Rock On Fruity landed the feature handicap chase, giving the Middleham trainer another reason to celebrate.

The unconsidered 40-1 chance, one of seven horses based with Haslam under the patronage of JP McManus, has not been long at Haslam's base having left Charles Byrnes in Ireland in September, but he's a horse capable of smart form when on song and it hasn't taken long for his new handler to find the key to the nine-year-old.

Rock On Fruity's success is the 20th for Haslam this calender year which is a new personal best for the trainer, whose last three winners have all carried McManus' famous green and gold silks.