Market Rasen Races: Favourites steal the show at Super Sunday

There were some poor fields, however, something which clearly contributed to a small crowd, while soft going did not encourage trainers either.

Pam Sly’s Peterborough stable is in fine form and All my Love was an appropriate fancy with Valentine’s Day just past.

The 9/2 shot won the opening Mares Novice Hurdle by an impressive nine lengths with Kielan Woods on board.

Lady Markby (2/1f) continued the pattern for trainer Emma Lavelle, and it took Jonjo O’Neill’s Cheltenham stable to stamp some male success on the afternoon in the third race.

Dream Berry, sent off at 9/2, had Jack Savage on board in winning the North Lincs Components and Bass Tyre Services Handicap Hurdle.

The feature race was the 32 red.com Novices Chase, but only three went to post for the £12,000 race.

Odds-on favourite Holly Bush Henry put in a fine display of jumping to give Woods a double in the saddle.

Local hopes were on Make me a Fortune, trained by Steve Gollings at Scamblesby in the fifth race, a handicap hurdle.

Top jockey Aidan Coleman had been booked by Gollings for the nine-year-old, but it was Fields of Glory, ridden by reigning champion jockey Richard Johnson, who cleaned up.

The winner opened his account at Musselburgh last month, a long journey from Tim Vaughan’s South Wales stable to the Scottish course and not a much shorter trip to Market Rasen. The 11/8 favourite clearly travels well both in the box and on the course.

Make me a Fortune, sent off at 2/1, finished third in the four-horse chase.

* The next meeting at Market Rasen is on Sunday, March 12; the start of the Cheltenham Festival week.

One interesting entry there is in the Ryanair Chase with Long House Hall, trained by Dan Skelton, who was an impressive winner of Market Rasen Racecourse’s richest race, the 2016 Summer Plate last July.

Interestingly he has not been seen since, but has been given an entry for the even bigger Cheltenham chase. It will be a case of watch this space to see whether he runs and, if he does, how he fares.