'We're back on track' - Jane Williams bounces back from temporary shutdown as Jupiter Allen delivers
Jane Williams said her stable was "back on track" following a troubled summer spell, which resulted in a temporary shutdown, after Jupiter Allen delivered a brave performance to land the 3m handicap chase at Exeter.
Her horses had performed below expectations during the early part of the season, with their breathing impacted by a rapeseed oil crop being grown on the neighbouring farm.
Jupiter Allen was among those to disappoint in May, and that performance was the deciding factor that led Williams to close, but six months on he gave her a second success of the season when fending off favourite Abuffalosoldier by half a length under David Noonan.
It is a boost for the yard, who were unable to celebrate their first winner of the campaign at Warwick at the start of the month after promising four-year-old Captain Marvellous sustained a fatal injury shortly after the victory.
Williams said: "We're at the end of a really horrible period in our lives. In the summer I felt things would improve but he was the one that made us stop after his last run. We know he's a nice horse and he's won there so I think we're back on track. It gives us that bit of confidence.
"I don't think he was fully tuned up but he's won really well and the beauty of it was that he got headed but came back. That tenacity and fight was really pleasing and he's going to be a proper staying chaser."
Perfect race record
Arc-winning trainer Ralph Beckett saddled his third winner from three runners in the last four years in the 1m5f three-year-old bumper with Gnomon.
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