A lovely shot of Yes Tom and Robbie Power clearing the last at Down Royal© Photo Healy Racing
Punters with long memories will recall a baffling result in the Daily Mirror Chase back in 2011 when veteran 25/1 chance Hold The Pin prevailed. It was a case of more of the same this year when outsider of the five strong field Yes Tom (14/1) sluiced up under Robbie Power.
With market leaders Bog Warrior and Seabass failing by some way to come up to expectations – last and second last respectively – it was left to Yes Tom on his first start for Stuart Crawford to comfortably see off Make A Track by seven lengths.
Crawford stated: "I couldn’t say I was expecting to win but I was expecting a good run. We are just trying to get his confidence back.
"In the last few weeks he's taken a bit more interest at home. He could have gone to Kelso but this was on our doorstep and it was a small field.
"We'll aim for another race or two like that and then we might have a target with him. His owner Tom Topping is a neighbour of mine. That's his only horse with me but he is part of the syndicate who own Man With Van."
Meanwhile Crawford had further news when explaining: "Twentytwos Taken goes to Aintree. She did good work at Navan yesterday and is entitled to be improving with the age of her." (MG & EM)