'Winners are hard to come by' - trainer banishes drought with 40-1 shock

Taunton: Thursday

Frost could eradicate much of the weekend's racing schedule but Fiona Shaw felt blessed to avoid the cold snap as it might have cost her a first winner in almost two years.

Sure Listen, one of just six horses in her string in Dorset, produced a 40-1 surprise in the 3m handicap hurdle to break a 571-day drought for the trainer.

Shaw balances racehorse training with cattle and arable farming but does not have all-weather gallops, and her preparation for Thursday could have been jeopardised had the morning's frost come earlier in the week.

Instead, emotions ran high for the trainer and owner Mandie Fletcher, who was celebrating a first winner.

Shaw, spotted with water on her face, said: "I splashed myself with water, I'm not crying although I should be. We've only got six horses in training so winners are hard to come by. It's so competitive, especially in this part of the world.

"We don't have all-weather gallops, which has been interesting, but we've got lucky. We were schooling yesterday but we wouldn't have been able to this morning.

"Winners like this are lovely. This is Mandie's first horse and she really enjoys coming to the yard and seeing him. It is hard, luckily we farm, but we love it and this was great."

Sure Listen was recording his first victory on his seventh start under rules. He was in contention before falling at the last at Stratford in May and enjoyed a more fortuitous day to beat Galactic Power and Menapian, at odds of 33-1 and 28-1 respectively. The Tote Tricast paid out at £31,053.

"He's just taken a little bit of time to find his way," Shaw added. "He ran at Stratford and fell at the last, which was awful, and he ran a good race at Wincanton the other day. He wasn't disgraced."

New Nicholls star

A second victory at Taunton had Paul Nicholls heaping the praise onto his exciting novice hurdler Rubaud and he could be in line for a shot at Graded level as early as next week.

Rubaud: impressive winner at TauntonCredit: Alan Crowhurst

The four-year-old quickened clear of talented Flat performer Brentford Hope to land the 2m½f novice hurdle and defy a 7lb penalty, which could tee up a bid at the Kennel Gate Novices' Hurdle at Ascot in eight days time.

"He's a good horse," said the champion trainer. "I just love the way he absolutely wings them and then quickens up from the back of the last.

"If the ground is what it's like the last meeting and it stays dry I'd say he's very likely to go to Ascot, otherwise we'll go to Kempton on Boxing Day.

"He's definitely got loads of ability and I think he'll progress. We bought him from France where he'd run on the Flat, he ran once for us and was wrong. He had his wind done, a summer off and he's a different horse this year. He's potentially really nice."

Results, replays and analysis

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