Soft approach works wonders as Charlie Uberalles lands big prize for Dianne Sayer

Charlie Uberalles repaid the love and affection lavished on him at Dianne Sayer's Cumbrian stable with a valuable success in the £50,000 3m chase.

The eight-year-old gets special treatment at home and all the extra effort was rewarded to the delight of Sayer, who deflected the credit to owner George Critchley.

"That was fantastic," she said. "It was all down to George as he told us this was his race. He's a facts and figures man and I'm hands on.

"He's very nervous, so everything has got to be really quiet with him. You've got to be gentle with him, he needs to be treated kindly."

Critchley was convinced this was the right race despite Charlie Uberalles being 3lb out of the handicap, and so it proved as the winner held off the late charge of Docpickedme under the in-form Danny McMenamin, who rode a double on the card.

"He ran well on his previous two starts here, including when third in last season's Great Yorkshire Chase, and the weight, ground and jockey were right," the owner said.

"He'll go back for that race here in January – we've got the date in already. If the ground was wrong we wouldn't go, but if it stays on the good side, we'll go."

Listed breakthrough

Alice Stevens registered her biggest victory when winning the inaugural running of the Listed Doncaster Mares' Hurdle on Wyenot.

Wyenot: won Listed mares' hurdleCredit: John Grossick Racing

The Henry Daly-trained five-year-old wears her heart on her sleeve and is a real favourite of the jockey, who said: "I'm absolutely delighted. I'm very fortunate to ride nice horses for good people and hopefully we can go somewhere from here. I'm going to really enjoy today because it's a pleasure to ride her."

The market got it right with Wyenot sent off the 15-8 favourite from West Balboa, who drifted to 2-1 (from 1-2) and finished third.

Welcome tonic

Nicky Richards cheered home another winner from his hospital bed when The Kalooki Kid strode clear of his rival in a dramatic novice handicap chase.

Danny McMenamin had the 11-4 winner prominent and out of trouble as four of the nine runners either fell or unseated.

"He jumped fence to fence and travelled very well," he said. "We were up at the front end and stayed out of the carnage."

It was the fourth winner in a week McMenamin had ridden for Richards, who has been in hospital since suffering multiple injuries in a gallops fall last month. 

"He's getting better and hopefully he'll be back home on Tuesday," McMenamin added. "He's on the phone every day and we'll be glad to have him back."

All the horses and jockeys were reported to be fine after the race.

Surprise defeat

Amateur rider David Maxwell said he would not have done anything differently if he had his time again after 2-13 shot Off The Jury was turned over in the novice hurdle.

Maxwell's mount finished ten lengths adrift of the Lucy Wadham-trained 17-2 winner Jax Junior, who showed the benefit of a recent wind operation under Tom Cannon.

"I wouldn’t have ridden him any differently given another go and the winner has done it well," said Maxwell, who rode out his claim last month.

"On all the form, he should have won but he didn’t – that’s racing."

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