Lorcan Williams (photographed) was back in the big time at the weekend as he and Golden Ace took the glory in a hugely dramatic Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle.
Pembrokeshire jockey Williams and his admirable mare - the combination who landed the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March - took full advantage of the falls of both Constitution Hill and The New Lion to claim Grade 1 honours in the North East.
The pair went into the five-runner contest under the radar as 22-1 shots, with the market dominated by Constitution Hill, new kid on the block The New Lion and the Willie Mullins raider Anzadam.
But in what turned into an almost surreal action replay of this year's Champion Hurdle, Constitution Hill fell early on, leaving the race seemingly at the mercy of The New Lion - only for he too to crash out at the second-last.
That left Golden Ace in front - as happened at Cheltenham in March - and she stayed on powerfully to deny the potential new Mullins superstar.
Incredibly, it was the first winner trainer Jeremy Scott had saddled since April.
Sean Bowen and Ben Jones were among the winners at Newbury's prestigious two-day fixture, but both were out of luck in the big race, the Coral Gold Cup. Bowen's mount Resplendent Grey and Jones' partner Pic Roc - who were both among the market leaders - finished down the field behind Panic Attack, another big-race winner from Dan Skelton's in-form yard.
Bowen's success came on Booster Bob in the Peter O'Sullevan Handicap Chase. It was a much smoother success than the one horse and jockey secured at the same course back in March, when Booster Bob toiled at the back of the field for much of the contest, only for Bowen to coax a turn of speed out of his partner along Newbury's long home straight which saw him overhaul his rivals.
Jones was on the mark on the opening day, winning a two-mile chase on the hugely promising Mambonumberfive. There was also a win for Callum Pritchard on Keable in a three-mile handicap hurdle.
Meanwhile, Evan Williams was among the Welsh trainers with plenty to be pleased about over the weekend. On Saturday his mare It's Easy lived up to her name by taking a handicap chase at Bangor-on-Dee by a whopping 40 lengths under Ellis Collier.
And the following day he was on the mark at Carlisle as Juby Ball, arguably the most promising horse in his yard, maintained his unbeaten record over obstacles with a narrow victory in a beginners' chase. James Bowen was in the saddle with stable jockey Adam Wedge on the sidelines as he recovers from a dislocated shoulder.
Our next meeting is the final fixture of 2025 – it’s our Christmas Party Raceday on Thursday, December 18.
