Ilovethenightlife defied top-weight to come home an impressive winner of the Grade Two British EBF BetVictor ‘National Hunt’ Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury.
The Joe Tizzard -trained five-year-old has been making a success of her early hurdling career, winning by seven and a half lengths on debut at Ffos Las then landing a Doncaster contest last time out.
She was burdened by 11st 12lb on soft ground at Newbury, but under Brendan Powell and at a price of 9-1 she showed her ability when coming home two and a half lengths ahead of Mel Rowley's Blue Beach.
Tizzard said: "I was absolutely delighted with her, I always held her in high regard and thought she was a lovely filly but I thought today, under top-weight, on that ground and with a strong head wind – it might be asking enough.
"She travelled and jumped better than ever, she did it well, really well.
"I'm absolutely thrilled to bits with her and I think she'll grow again, she's only a five-year-old.
"I don't know where she's going to end up, she could end up anywhere. I'm delighted with today, there was loads to like."
Anthony Honeyball's Crest Of Glory was a facile winner of the valuable Goffs UK Spring Sale Bumper.
The race was open only to four-year-olds purchased via the Spring Store Sale at Doncaster last year, where the winner went through the ring for £48,000.
The race was Crest Of Glory's debut and he was a 17-2 chance in the hands of Aidan Coleman, with a field of 19 competing for £100,000 in prize-money.
None were a match for Honeyball's gelding, who sauntered home acres ahead of the field to cross the line an easy 15 lengths ahead.
"It was very straightforward. I sat on him at Kempton a few weeks ago and Anthony was really keen that I came and did that gallop as he really liked him," Coleman told Racing TV.
"Usually when Anthony likes one it does the business. To train a horse for a race like that was an exceptional training performance, he was telling me about this horse in September!
"He's been filling me in the whole way through the winter and here we are.
"He's a very easy, straightforward horse that's going places.
"He's going to be a horse to go over further, to win a staying bumper like that on that ground at a track like Newbury, his future is going to be up in trip."
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