Market Rasen races: Home win for trainer Michael Chapman

Market Rasen trainer Michael Chapman toasted a winner on his home track when Dark Diamond (10/1) got up by one-and-a-half lengths to win the Tom Halliday Memorial Chase.
Cut the Corner and jockey Sam Twiston-Davies make a fine jump on their way to winning the feature race the Don Noble Handicap Steeplechase. EMN-160407-163501002Cut the Corner and jockey Sam Twiston-Davies make a fine jump on their way to winning the feature race the Don Noble Handicap Steeplechase. EMN-160407-163501002
Cut the Corner and jockey Sam Twiston-Davies make a fine jump on their way to winning the feature race the Don Noble Handicap Steeplechase. EMN-160407-163501002

The six-year-old, owned by Mary Chapman, grabbed his moment of glory in the sixth race of Sunday’s card at Market Rasen.

The race is run annually in memory of young jockey Tom Halliday who died following a fall 11 years ago at this meeting.

Ross Turner, a 5lb-claiming jockey, was on board Chapman’s horse which had the advantage of having to travel the short distance across the Willingham Road from his Woodlands stable.

Dark Diamond is entered for an amateur riders race at Doncaster’s evening meeting on Friday.

Two of the country’s leading trainers made much more lengthy journeys to Sunday’s meeting, and both were well rewarded.

There was a double for 2015 Grand National-winning trainer Dr Richard Newland.

The Worcester trainer saddled ‘Cut the Corner’ the 4/1 winner of the Don Noble Handicap Chase, and then followed that up in the next, a novices hurdle where One More Go (6/4) won by one-and-a-half lengths.

Both horses were ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies who holds the lead in the early weeks of the 2016/17 jockey’s championship from reigning champion Richard Johnson.

Top Somerset trainer David Pipe also celebrated a double with Tom Scudamore riding Impulsive American (15/8) in the mannyernstein.co.uk novices chase and Kalifourchon(6/1) in the Don Noble Betting Handicap Hurdle.

Monsieur Gibraltar looked like winning the first of these races until a blunder at the last fence while leading.

Impulsive American was a useful performer over hurdles and was well in at the weights in this venture over fences which was his chasing debut.

Scudamore said: “It was a really nice win to start the day. He had a bit of luck on his way round, but jumped fluently and ran very well.”

In the third race, the Class 3 Don Noble Handicap Chase, the well-backed favourite Easy Street was mid-division when he fell under Aidan Coleman at the end of the first circuit.

The Newland trained Cut the Corner had an easy win by 11 lengths.

A highlight of the afternoon was the presence of Derek Thompson, the well-known TV commentator and analyst who was guest presenter.

His interviews and tales from the world of racing entertained the crowd around the winner’s enclosure, and there was an excellent turn-out of punters on a glorious afternoon.

The afternoon also featured activities for the family on what was termed Family Fun Raceday, while the racecourse also teamed up with Lincs Inspire to promote health and wellbeing among young people in the county.

Another racecourse initiative is the Lawn Enclosure Community Project which was launched this spring.

Pupils from five local schools – De Aston, Middle Rasen Primary, Legsby Primary, Osgodby Primary and Tealby Primary – have been designing and planting flower beds provided by the racecourse.

They were formally unveiled during the afternoon when the racecourse’s Family Enclosure was re-titled the Lawn Enclosure.

All eyes turn now to the year’s most prestigious day of racing, Summer Plate Day, on Saturday, July 17.