'That was a little bit special' - Minella Trump makes it seven in a row

Friday: Catterick

Donald McCain praised 2m3f novice chase winner Minella Trump as "a little bit special" after he completed a seven-timer at Catterick, becoming the first to record a sequence of that size for the trainer since the great Peddlers Cross.

Hurricane Fly was the one to end Peddlers Cross' winning run in the 2011 Champion Hurdle, and bigger races could be on the agenda for Minella Trump having outclassed his two rivals on Friday.

The seven-year-old, who was sent off a 1-2 favourite, shouldered a 10lb penalty to hold off Baron De Midleton under Brian Hughes. That win follows four wins at Perth and two in novice handicap chases at Sandown and Sedgefield.

"That was a little bit special," McCain told Racing TV. "At the start of the season he was a good, solid, little horse. I know these aren't the best races in the world, but things like this don't happen very often.

"The last one we had to win seven in a row was Peddlers Cross and I'll never train another one of those. He's thriving and he's taking it really well."

Watch Minella Trump's seventh win in a row

McCain added: "He's had the chance to learn his trade, he's got plenty of practice and the fact he's won them all is a bonus. It was a nice prize today but now he's equipped to go in a better race."

The McCain-Hughes combination teamed up for a treble on the day, striking with Minella Plus in the following 2m3½f novice hurdle and River Walk in the bumper. That treble leaves Hughes just two wins off a century for the season.

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