Windsor Avenue battles back for Sky Bet victory on stellar day for Brian Ellison

Saturday: Doncaster

It wasn't quite the Northumberland Plate that he longs for but it will do very nicely, thank you.

An afternoon that began with victory at Cheltenham ended with success in Doncaster's biggest jumps race for Brian Ellison.

And it was a masterstroke by the bang-in-form trainer that turned 40-1 shot Windsor Avenue into a Sky Bet Handicap Chase winner.

Those odds reflected a poor previous effort at Wetherby, where Phil Martin's chaser was never travelling and was pulled up before four out, so Ellison fitted him with blinkers and told Sean Quinlan to make plenty of use of him.

The combination dominated this £100,000 contest from the off and, although the Kerry Lee-trained Storm Control joined him in the straight and swept clear two out, Windsor Avenue battled back on the run-in to regain the lead in the final half-furlong and win going away by more than three lengths.

"He worked brilliantly in the blinkers the other day and he schooled great," Ellison said. "I said to Sean 'just make sure you get him out, I don't want him in the pack'.

"He's slick in his jumping and Sean said he ran away with him for two and a half miles. When the other horse headed us I thought 'we've run well, we've finished second and run a great race with the choke out for two and a half miles'.

"But he's class. I've always said to Phil how good he is."

Brian Ellison: blinkers and attacking policy paid offCredit: Edward Whitaker

Backing Quinlan in the Sky Bet is quite a system as he also won the race last year on Takingrisks, another 40-1 shot.

"The blinkers have made him jump today," the rider said. "He was gaining the whole way down the back and I kept filling him up.

"Turning in, I thought I'd win very easily. Then Kerry Lee's horse came to me and it felt like my lad had a little bit of a blow and he got away. Obviously he's got his second wind, winged the last and gone away and won really well. The further he was going, the more he was winning."

Ellison, a Newcastle native who has made no secret of his desire to land his home city's biggest race, could have the Grand National in his sights with Windsor Avenue and Quinlan thinks the ten-year-old could take to the course.

The jockey said: "The way he jumped today you could go to the National. He attacked his fences, whereas before he used to back off a little bit."

Ellison was fresh from a double at Wetherby on Thursday and had kicked off Saturday by landing the opener on Trials day at Cheltenham with Cormier.

Asked why things were going so well at his Malton yard, the trainer said: "I don't know. In December they were scoping badly – they were working well but they came back dirty. But they're in form now."

It was a much sadder day at another Yorkshire yard as the Sue Smith-trained Midnight Shadow, winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup in November, suffered a fatal injury when making a mistake at the seventh fence.

Saturday's race reports:

Cleeve Hurdle: Paisley Park stuns Champ with 'special' comeback to land Cleeve hat-trick

Ruby Walsh: 'It's lucky Aidan Coleman was riding because I would have given up'

Peter Thomas: Phenomenal Paisley allows us Brits to forget those gaudy green banners for now (Members' Club)

Expert jury: 'It's going to take a good one to beat him in the Triumph Hurdle'

Cheltenham: Supreme an option for 'classy' new Triumph Hurdle favourite, says Gordon Elliott

Cotswold Chase: Chantry House provides JP McManus with 4,000th winner in Cotswold Chase

Doncaster: Arkle bid in doubt for Third Time Lucki after suffering setback in Lightning win

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