Sport

No looking cool Hutsby

Amateur Fred Hutsby became the third generation of his family to ride a winner at Cheltenham when he gained first success at …

Fri Jan 02 1998 - 00:00

Amateur Fred Hutsby became the third generation of his family to ride a winner at Cheltenham when he gained first success at the track on Mighty Moss yesterday.

He followed grandfather Henry and father Ken into the famous winner's enclosure when steering the family-owned seven-year-old to victory in the Unicoin Homes Spa Hurdle.

Hutsby, aged 21, rode a confident race on the horse that chased home Istabraq in last year's Royal SunAlliance Novice Hurdle on this step up to three miles.

Five times he glanced over both shoulders approaching the last flight and in the end only scrambled home by a head from the rallying Ocean Hawk.

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"I looked round to see if anything was travelling as well and nothing was, thank goodness," said Hutsby. "But the other came back when mine idled. I was glad to see the winning post."

Hutsby promised there would be no repeat of tactics that would have tested the patience of trainer David Nicholson when Mighty Moss returns to Cheltenham for the Stayers' Hurdle.

"He'll have to buy himself a pair of wing mirrors!" remarked Nicholson. "Mighty Moss is a family horse and Fred will always ride him. He'll have one more run before the Festival."

West Country trainer Rod Millman, successful during the summer with the two-year-old sprinter Lord Kintyre, claimed one of the most demanding events in the calendar with Kendal Cavalier.

The grey may have earned a crack at the Martell Grand National with his 11-length victory in the four-mile, one-furlong Miles Gosling Handicap Chase under conditional Darren Salter.

Liverpool could also beckon for McGregor The Third who maintained his unbeaten record over Cheltenham's cross country course by winning the Sporting Index Select Chase.

Re-united with Brian Harding, recently returned from a year's enforced absence, he clinched his third win on the circuit by a distance after Irish Stamp was pulled up.

Nigel Twiston-Davies saddled the first winner of 1998 when Mahler took the Centenary Novices' Chase to begin the year in the form he had left the previous one.

Kingdom Emperor pulled off an upset to land the Steel Plate Trial Juvenile Novices' Hurdle in which odds-on favourite Vent d'Aout trailed in last.

And Jenny Pitman saddled her first winner since being awarded an OBE when Princeful landed the Baring Bingham Handicap Hurdle.