'What more could you ask for?' - Ashroe Diamond stars on rare Town Moor trip for Patrick Mullins

Patrick Mullins' second visit to Doncaster turned out better than his first as Ashroe Diamond upstaged her stablemate in the SBK Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle to earn a likely crack at the Cheltenham Festival.

Last year's Triumph Hurdle runner-up Gala Marceau started 10-11 favourite under Danny Mullins but finished third behind the 7-4 shot, whose record-breaking partner had finished seventh in an amateur riders' Flat race in 2016 on his only previous visit to Town Moor.

"What more could you ask for?" Patrick Mullins said after Ashroe Diamond's two-and-a-half-length success. "She has a high cruising speed and she settled great today; she's normally quite keen and you have to get a bit of cover with her. 

"She jumped great. Her pedigree suggests she can go further but it's two and a half miles in the mares' race in March and that will be no problem to her."

Ashroe Diamond is a best-priced 4-1 for the Close Brothers' Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham, for which stablemate Lossiemouth is red-hot favourite after her impressive victory at Cheltenham.

Hill of dreams

Ruth Jefferson's faith in Kerryhill was rewarded as the £115,000 buy came good with a clear-cut success under Brian Hughes in the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett River Don Novices' Hurdle.

The six-year-old had finished only fourth at Cheltenham last month but his trainer said: "I thought he ran better than the bare result. He was the last one off the bridle; he looked unbalanced down the hill and got shuffled back. Adam Wedge said everything that could go wrong went wrong and he had to use a lot of energy to get there.

"He looked green rather than a horse that lacked the ability, so we gave him a bit of time. I thought there was a lot more improvement in him than other people maybe expected."

Favourite dethroned

Jeriko Du Reponet was deposed as favourite for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle favourite despite completing a hat-trick in the SBK Supreme Trial Rossington Main Novices' Hurdle.

The 4-6 favourite had to work much harder than when winning his first two starts at Newbury, taking this Grade 2 contest by a length and a quarter under Mark Walsh, and is now a best-priced 10-1 for the Cheltenham Festival opener.

But Walsh, who rides the new market leader Mystical Power, was happy with the winner and said: "The race wasn't run to suit. We went too slow and it turned into a sprint. He didn't jump great early, they were going too slow. He was a bit sloppy, I think that's because he thought he was just going for a school round, but when we picked it up into the straight he was electric over the last three.

"In his other races he was just cantering around, but he really had to fight today and he put his head down when I wanted him. He's a lovely horse. He can only beat what's in front of him and he showed a good attitude. He's only five and I think he'll keep improving."

Jeriko Du Reponet (near): now three from three over hurdlesCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos).

Classic hero returns

St Leger-winning jockey Ted Durcan was back celebrating again at Doncaster after the Listed juvenile fillies' hurdle.

The man who landed the world's oldest Classic on Mastery in 2009 had not made a comeback to ride over jumps. Rather, he bought Wodhooh for 50,000gns out of Sir Michael Stoute's stable last summer and was here to see her complete a five-timer for the Sundowners Partnership.

"It was for Ian Murphy and some friends to have a bit of fun with," Durcan said. "Ian let me have a free hand and we landed on her, and it's all worked out really well. Hurdling has been the making of her."

Wodhooh (Mark Walsh) makes it five out of five over hurdles Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Brennan banned

Paddy Brennan was banned for ten days after being caught close home for second place on Young Buster in the novice handicap chase.

He appeared to drop his hands and stop riding shortly before the winning post and lost second by a head to the fast-finishing Snipe, in a race won by Egbert.

Leger Legends cheques presented

Thoughts turned to the Flat season before racing as cheques for £40,000 were presented to the Injured Jockeys Fund and the National Horseracing College.

They were the proceeds of last September's Leger Legends race at Doncaster and the fund-raising effort is set to be stepped up in 2024 with the addition of a golf day and a gala dinner on the eve of the St Leger meeting.

Colonel Stephen Padgett (left), Leger Legends committee chairman and chief exective of the National Horseracing College, and Jack Berry for the Injured Jockeys Fund, with the proceeds of the 2023 Leger Legends raceCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

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