RACING: Bread-and-butter fare it might have been, but the day's only jumping card still attracted plenty of big names to Hereford yesterday.
And with the likes of Tony McCoy, Ruby Walsh, Henrietta Knight and Paul Nicholls all getting on the scoresheet, there was plenty for punters to celebrate during the afternoon.
Stable star Best Mate may be under the weather, but Knight showed that the rest of her string are in good nick as she sent out a one-two in the second division of the EBF National Hunt Novices' Hurdle.
Only Vintage (4 to 5) accelerated clear under Jim Culloty to beat Smart Mover by eight lengths.
Bred to be top-class on the Flat, the winner was bought cheaply out of John Hammond's stable, having proved all but untrainable in his younger days.
But since taking an Irish bumper, Only Vintage's career has steadily improved and this victory put him on course for bigger things at the Cheltenham Festival.
"He is owned by the Bamfords, who sponsor the Triumph Hurdle with JCB, and they are obviously keen to have a runner there, so he will be entered in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the Royal & SunAlliance," said the successful handler.
