Double carpet Alvaro sweeps past the favourite

Favourite backers would have been happy when 11/8 market leader Freddie Robdal went clear on the run to two out in the five-year-olds and older maiden hurdle but the picture was soon to change.

The favourite started to empty between the final two flights and 66/1 chance Alvaro headed him early on the run-in. The latter only had to be nudged along by Conor McNamara to beat the staying-on Taxi Rank by three quarters of a length with Freddie Robdal finishing a further four and a half lengths back in third.

Trained by McNamara's father Eric, the Archipenko gelding was a winner on the all-weather in Britain a couple of years ago.

The winning rider said: "His work had been good the last few weeks at home. It didn’t ride like a good race as we hacked and we didn’t even quicken.

“I thought he’d be a lowly rated handicapper and maybe he is. He was as fit as a flea and I can’t see him improving much.”

Quotes from Alan Magee