From sitting an exam to riding a winner - 17-year-old's dash down the M5 pays off with hunter chase success

Amateur jockey Edward Vaughan's dash down the M5 to the Somerset venue after sitting an exam in the morning paid off when Angels Breath struck in the 2m5½f hunter chase.

The 17-year-old, who took a mock business studies test in Glamorgan in preparation for his A-levels, was beaten half a length on the 11-year-old in a point-to-point last month but went one better when staying on stoutly for a five-length win.

"It's my last year and I'm doing my A-levels around June, so I'm doing my mock exams at the moment – it was a business one this morning and I've got PE on Friday, so it's all go," Vaughan told Racing TV.

Angels Breath (Ed Vaughan) leads over the second- last and wins the hunter chaseCredit: Edward Whitaker

Angels Breath, whose last win came in a Grade 2 novice chase in 2019 when trained by Nicky Henderson, was making a successful hunter chase debut for the jockey's father Tim.

Vaughan added: "He's obviously a nice horse on old form, and he was pretty straightforward today. Hopefully, if he comes out of this all right we'll step him up to bigger and better things."

Treble for training pair

Philip Hobbs and Johnson White took their winners tally in the past fortnight to ten with a treble.

French Ship, last seen finishing fourth behind recent JP McManus purchase The New Lion, took the 2m3f novice hurdle before The Hardest Geezer landed the 2m½f maiden hurdle. Tom Doniphon followed up last week's course-and-distance success in the 2m3f handicap hurdle to complete the treble.

French Ship (Micheal Nolan) leads over the final flight and wins the 2m3f novice hurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

White said: "I thought we had nice chances today so I was as keen as anyone that the meeting did go ahead. Thankfully it did and they've all run well, so it's really pleasing. We've got a team of lovely horses who are in great form and we're very fortunate to have a great team at home doing all the hard work.

"French Ship is shaping into a really nice prospect and is learning all the time. He still didn't jump as slickly as we'd like but it's all part of the education. He was progressive in his bumpers and he's proving to be the same over hurdles.

"I was over the moon with The Hardest Geezer. He still needs to learn how to settle in the first half of the race and he was a bit green in front. 

"He'll come on a lot for today and hopefully he's on an upward curve. Tom Doniphon has done it really nicely. He'll step up in trip and he'll be a lovely chaser next year."

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