Tim Vaughan thrilled by Bells Of Peterboro after double dose of covid blues

Monday: Chepstow

Tim Vaughan won the 2m7½f handicap hurdle with Bells Of Peterboro, who was providing the trainer with a welcome tonic after a bout of Covid-19.

"I've been flat as a pancake, but that's cheered me up," said Vaughan, who was speaking from home.

"I've had Covid, me and my wife Abbi, and it's knocked the stuffing out of us. The team at home have kept the show on the road over Christmas and I'm really grateful.

"It's lovely to have a winner like that and he's been a wonderful horse."

Vaughan once saddled 102 winners in a season, but Bells Of Peterboro was only his fifth this term.

"Covid hit us quite hard in that owners' businesses weren't going quite the same and then owners couldn't go racing, so it slowed us down," he added.

"There's no point hiding from it, we had a bad season last year and the horses weren't right for one reason or the other.

"It's been a rebuilding process and this term was all about getting back on track. We are massively down on numbers, but hopefully what we have got can be competitive and if we can get our confidence back up with days like this, we can build it up again."

Golden Whisky (right) on his way to winningCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Whisky warms Williams

Evan Williams, whose Secret Reprieve finished fifth in the Coral Welsh Grand National, enjoyed a "lovely" start to the day when Golden Whisky won the 2m3½f handicap chase.

Like Secret Reprieve, he runs in the familiar blue silks of the Rucker family and Williams said: "He needed to step forward from his first run of the season, but is more than capable on his day.

"At times, he's not shown what he's capable of, but he's a baby – a big, raw horse. The testing ground probably came for him today and we'll step him up in trip at some stage. I honestly don't know if he'd be a Welsh National horse one day.

"Nothing would surprise me with Golden Whisky because he's a very talented horse and he's either very good or not very good."

Asked if he had enjoyed Christmas or spent the time mulling his big-race runner, Williams added: "I can't help but think about it because the Welsh National is so high up my list of priorities."

Results, replays and analysis

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