Stock takes the Guinness

Wise Old Owl won for the J P McManus/John Kiely and Mark Walsh combination on Thursday and the trio joined forces again to land another beginners chase, the Guinness Surge contest over two miles one when Taking Stock took an incident-packed event. Mission Possible made the running under Mick Darcy and having to bypass two out (Our Symphony - Tom Doyle suffered a facial laceration & mild concussion, stood down for the day and Enfield Chase had unseated here on the first circuit) didn't appear to help his cause. At the last he was joined by Questions Answered (made a mistake) and Taking Stock, with the latter proving strongest on the run-in to score by two and a half lengths.

John Kiely said: "It's nice, they are lovely horses and I am very lucky to have them. Mr McManus is the best employer in the country – he has so many horses.

"The loose horse didn't help Taking Stock but we hope he'll go on from here."

Meanwhile Mark Walsh said: "He was good the whole way round. I was delighted with the way he jumped on his first start over fences. He was lugging in behind the other two horses around the bypassed fence but I got him straightened up to join the other two at the last.

"I didn't have to be hard on him from there, just hands and heels and he won well."