'This is what racing is all about' - Nigel Hawke delighted with winning machine Inferno Sacree

Victory in the 2m2½f handicap hurdle marked an incredible five wins from his last six starts for Inferno Sacree.

 A 12-race maiden coming into 2023, he may have been helped by a change of tactics according to winning trainer Nigel Hawke.

"He was very keen in his early days and we were just trying to hang onto him." Hawke said. "He was getting disappointed so we let him bowl along and he's absolutely loving it. He's not very big but he's in the form of his life right now.

"This is what racing is all about, a little horse winning five times in the space of six runs.

"To be fair to Tom [Buckley, jockey], he knows the horse well and he knows what he needs. I said to Tom, 'We go quick out in front but we don't go too quick'. I wouldn't want to be ridding against this horse, he just gallops his rivals into defeat."

Hawke's Stoodleigh yard is local to Newton Abbot and he praised the course, which recently expressed concerns over the BHA's premierisation proposal.

"It's a local track and a track we love coming too," he added. "They do a wonderful job and it's brilliant to have winners here."

Storm shock

40-1 outsider of the field Shortcross Storm made every yard a winning one in the 3m2f handicap chase.

Bryan Carver set a demanding gallop on board the Chris Honour-trained eight-year-old, establishing a handy lead before the pair recorded a half-length success from Lady Wilberry.

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