'I'd love to train plenty of jumps horses but I don't know if there are as many owners up north as down south'

Adrian Keatley questioned the appetite for jump racing among northern owners as he struck with a couple of potentially classy hurdlers among his "handful" of jumpers.

The Irish 1,000 Guineas-winning trainer, who has been based in North Yorkshire for five years, has high hopes for Maghlaak and Hosaamm, who each secured a first win since being bought at the Newmarket horses-in-training sale.

Keatley won a Listed novice hurdle with Gale Mahler in the summer but remains best known for his exploits on the Flat and said: "I'd love to train plenty of jump horses but I don't know if there are as many owners up north as down south.

"That seems to be what I've learned in the last couple of years, they just aren't plentiful up here. But there are great crowds and a great buzz about the place."

Maghlaak took a division of the 2m novice hurdle under Danny McMenamin and the trainer said: "He's going to be a decent horse, jumping will toughen him up. His bit of class showed there late on."

Brian Hughes, also successful on Grand Albert and Harbour Island, had to work harder to make sure Hosaamm held on in the juvenile hurdle, but Keatley said: "He was always doing enough and was never in any danger, there's a lot of ability in there.

"We'll aim for the Fred Winter, he'll probably go to Musselburgh on trials day and he might have a run in between that."

Hosaamm on his way to victory at Wetherby Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Timed it right

Kielan Woods judged things perfectly on the quirky Harper's Brook, leading in the last few strides to win the feature William Hill Castleford Chase by a neck.

Owner Andrew Megson said: "It was a genius ride and a brilliant job by Dan Skelton and the team. They've worked him out — although even then Kielan thought he'd got upsides too quickly. He has masses of ability but he's just odd. When he thinks he's done it, he stops."

Woods said: "You're a hero when it all works out. This nice flat track and small field suited him."

Power prevails

Choosing a rider sight unseen worked out as Jack Power took the 3m conditional jockeys' handicap hurdle on The Big Breac for Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith.

"I'd never actually seen him ride on the track but he's been into ours a couple of times so we chucked him on and he's done a great job," Parkinson said.

"We weren't sure how good this horse was when we first got him, then he got a little problem but he's improving every time he comes to the track."

Boxing day barrier breached

Spirits were high in the racecourse office after final calculations showed that Wetherby had attracted a crowd over 10,000 on Boxing Day for the first time in eight years.

That was an increase on 9,276 in 2023 and the biggest for any meeting at the track since the pandemic.

"It felt like a big crowd and we're very pleased," said chief executive Jonjo Sanderson.

"It makes a difference when Leeds are playing away on Boxing Day and the good weather helped — a bad forecast can make people nervous but there was never the prospect of any threat to racing."

Read these next:

Nicky Henderson waxes lyrical as 'frightening' Sir Gino slams Ballyburn on stunning chasing debut

£3,000 purchase Jeannot Lapin springs 150-1 surprise in beginners' chase - and is now 66-1 for the Arkle