We came tantalisingly close to a treble at Fontwell on Wednesday with our only three runners on the card.
Ferret Jeeter kicked off the evening with a decisive victory in the opening Class 5 handicap hurdle in the colours of Richard Matthews, before Easy Love won with something to spare on her debut over hurdles.
Then it was the turn of Dear Ralphy who just failed to catch by a head to Jongleur D’Etoiles in a driving finish to a Class 4 long distance handicap hurdle.
Ferret Jeeter and Dear Ralphy had both been involved in a void race at Fontwell late last month.
While it was frustrating at the time it was good to see Ferret Jeeter gain his first success with the help of a sound ride by Chad Bament who was able to claim a valuable 8lbs in a race for conditional jockeys.
Ferret Jeeter had a year off with a leg injury and has been a bit of a slow burner. He briefly lost his pitch on the final turn before flying up the straight to win impressively and could be interesting once we step him up to three miles or more.
Having progressed nicely in her bumpers Easy Love made a pleasing start over hurdles in the colours of the Amantes syndicate despite being a bit short of complete match fitness.
She remains a novice for the whole season, jumps soundly and I’m confident that she will step up on that performance when she runs again after a nice summer break.
