'They had to open him up and untwist his gut' - Never Dark bounces back from colic surgery to land valuable prize

Never Dark lit up the afternoon by landing the £60,000 5f handicap for Iain Jardine, who has nursed the sprinter back to form after colic surgery in the winter.

He showed last weekend's 100-1 seventh in the 6f Ayr Silver Cup was no flash in the pan by making all under 7lb claimer Alex Jary, who was having just his third ride for the yard, to score from 2lb out of the handicap.

"Alex gave him a really good ride," Jardine said. "He had a feather weight and not many jockeys can do that so we were looking for a good apprentice who can claim. And he gave him a lovely, straightforward ride.

"We had him in at Ripon as well but it's undulating there and it doesn't suit every horse. The key to him is he handles dig in the ground and he's come to himself this year. He seems to have found a bit of confidence. He's a horse for five furlongs on soft ground. He ran a great race in the Silver Cup at Ayr but he doesn't quite get home on the soft."

Never Dark has raced in the colours of Alison Walker and Sarah Cousins since he was bought out of Andrew Balding's yard in 2020 and Jardine said: "I'm delighted for Sarah and Alison, they're local to us and they've had a few winners this season.

"This is Never Dark's time of year. He wasn't busy in the first half of the season. He had colic surgery in the winter; they had to open him up and untwist his gut, thankfully he was all right. He's a tough horse." 

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