Zamond and Brian Hughes dodge trouble to strike in dramatic handicap hurdle

Monday: Cartmel

There was drama in the 2m1f handicap hurdle won by the Donald McCain-trained Zamond.

The winner took over as favourite during a seven-minute delay caused by previous market leader Jackhammer unshipping Danny McMenamin before running loose and crashing into the plastic rails.

Jackhammer’s withdrawal made Zamond’s task easier, but the six-year-old first had to avoid an incident in which Craig Nichol was unseated from Baraboy and crashed into Nathan Moscrop on Check My Pulse, sending both jockeys to the ground and earning Moscrop a seven-day ban for careless riding.

After deftly avoiding the two fallen riders, Zamond was almost pulled wide at the last hurdle by the unseated Baraboy and Brian Hughes had to quickly correct again to make the flight.

The pair held off a late challenge by Coeur Aimant to strike by just a neck, completing a double on the day for the trainer and jockey following success with Saywhatyouwant in the maiden hurdle.

Beat the heat

Jockeys and trainers took advantage of the extensive cooling facilities put in place to combat the extreme heat, with temperatures climbing towards 29C by the final race.

Ange Endormi gets cooled down after success on a hot Monday at CartmelCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

The precautions and early start times were praised by Sean Quinlan, who claimed the 2m6f handicap hurdle on the Barbara Butterworth-trained Ange Endormi.

Quinlan told Racing TV: "Cartmel is doing a fantastic job with the fan and water area and they're not getting us out too early, so the horses don't have to be walking us out in the heat and they're getting us down to the start as late as possible. The horses seem to be coping with the heat and all seem okay."

Results, replays and analysis

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