Longclaw takes incident-packed opener

The Ladbrokes 3-y-o Hurdle was incident-packed but in the end 7/4 favourite Longclaw made it two from two over hurdles with an 11 length win from outsider Varna Gold

Only three of the seven runners got around, with Scholastic departing early and then the front-running Poets Touch ran out at the third last.

That left the winner, under Keith Donoghue, in a clear lead, and two more of his rivals were out of the race two out when both Charlie Bassett and Sister Eliza were brought down by the fall of a loose horse.

The winning son of Kitten’s Joy had some good form on the Flat before going hurdling, including when placed in a Listed race at Kentucky Downs during a spell in the United States.

Ian Amond, assistant to winning trainer Gordon Elliott, said: “It was probably made easier for him with what went on, but in these type of races you can have that happen. They are there to be jumped.

“He was travelling away and jumping away in front, and he is two from two now. He’s a nice horse and he’s going the right way. He could be a nice horse over hurdles.

“He probably won’t (go back to America), he will keep tipping away here and obviously have to keep stepping up in grade now.

“Maybe on the Flat he had gone a bit stale. He was a highly-rated horse on the Flat.

“He always looked like he would take to jumping and he has.

“He has handled that type of ground and if he is in that type of form I would imagine we would keep him going.”

Additional reporting by Michael Graham