'The best I've ever ridden' - Kielan Woods waxes lyrical about Tellherthename as impressive novice gets off the mark

Two-time Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Kielan Woods reckoned the classy Tellherthename is "the best I've ever ridden" in the wake of his first win under rules at the Cambridgeshire track.

The £200,000 purchase looked the part in the paddock and also on the track when routing the opposition in the same colours as Global Citizen, who Woods steered to glory in the Grand Annual Chase in 2022.

After going down by just a nose to Jango Baie on his hurdles debut at Ascot three weeks previously, the Ben Pauling-trained Tellherthename made no mistake here when making all to score by 14 lengths from Lucky Place.

Woods said of the 4-11 favourite: "Make no mistake, this horse is the best I've ever ridden. He's very good and should really be unbeaten as I think he ran into a freak when he was just denied last time.

"I'm so lucky to be riding horses like this and he could go places all being well."

Paddy Power handed the winner an opening quote of 40-1 for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

Ammo over jumps too

Dominic Ffrench Davis may have had a record-breaking season on the Flat this year, but he showed he can also still do it over jumps when Sashenka justified favouritism in the 2m4f mares' novice chase.

The 4-5 shot enjoyed a smooth first attempt over fences to account for Impressive Chic in the hands of the trainer's son Ben.

Ben Ffrench Davies returns on Sashenka after they landed the odds in the mares' novice chase

The winning rider said: "Things are taking off for me since I joined Nicky Henderson and I'm also involved in our Amo Racing yard in Lambourn where we have about 30 in and that's before the yearlings come in. We have only two or three jumpers including this fellow."

Traveller goes far

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail as the old saying goes, and Sarah Humphrey's preferred method of saddling her horses an hour before post time paid further dividends when The Wise Traveller scored under Bradley Roberts in the 3m1f conditional jockeys' handicap hurdle.

The all-the-way victory was a second consecutive winner for the trainer's in-house racing club Yen Hall Farm Racing following the success of Templier at Fakenham four days previously.

Members of Yen Hall Farm Racing celebrate the win of The Wise Traveller

The winning jockey was going full circle on the 5-1 chance, who left his boss Charlie Longsdon to join Humphrey over the summer.

Humphrey said: "I like to saddle my horses over in the stable yard an hour before racing as then you are not rushing and it seems to make everything more relaxed.

"Bradley won on this fellow twice last year so it made sense to try and secure his services again."

A nice type – unlike his namesake

Fans of Eastenders will no doubt be on the phone to Nigel Twiston-Davies on Sunday morning after his newcomer Dirty Den trounced the opposition in the 1m5½f bumper.

The 6-1 chance is the latest in a long line of TV series-themed stock to emerge from the stable who often have later changed hands over the years.

Jockey James Turner said: "Nigel has named them after characters from TV shows like Dad's Army and Porridge in the past and now has moved on to Eastenders. Unlike his namesake, this horse is a nice type."

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