Trainer David Pipe and jockey Tom Scudamore grabbed an impressive albeit short-priced double at Fakenham yesterday with two successful hurdlers.
Twentytwo's Taken, impressive in National Hunt flat races in Ireland, made a winning hurdling debut to land the mares' maiden at 8/13.
Scudamore, notching win 104 of the season, tried to cover up the mare early on but once he allowed her some freedom, she took off to score.
'The experience will do her good. She's clearly talented and will certainly improve for the race,' said Scudamore.
Scudamore had won the first race on the six-race card, a three-runner affair in which the order didn't change throughout the three-mile trip which included 13 hurdles.
Somerset-based Pipe looks to have a very good prospect on his hands in Rathlin Rose who won unchallenged, by 16 lengths at 4/6.
Runner-up Baku Bay had won at the course's previous meeting but never looked happy being asked to go further than before and never threatened the easy winner who was following up his Taunton success of a fortnight ago.
Alanjou broke the hearts of the course favourites when landing the feature. Six-times Fakenham winner Full Ov Beans and Shinooki, a winner at the track on his last two starts, both had eyes on the Wendling Handicap Chase but it was the Jamie Snowden trained five-year-old who plundered the prize.
Full Ov Beans, racing from a career-high mark and being asked to travel further than before, went off quickly and the five-runner field was soon strung out.
Shinooki struggled at the back and never threatened and it was left for Full Ov Beans to try to hold off the eventual winner.
He did so until the last half mile when Brendan Powell delivered Alanjou to win his race at 3/1. 'I knew Full Ov Beans would go off quickly. But at this level it is hard to win from start to finish. My horse was going well. The blinkers on him last time sharpened him up and today they kept his mind on the job. I always had enough under me to be confident of winning,' said Powell.
The winning margin was four lengths with Full Ov Beans finishing second but losing nothing in defeat.
Trainer Alex Hales is having a good season at Fakenham and his Running Wolf, at 3/1, scored in the hurdle race for conditional jockeys.
Under Conor Shoemark, Running Wolf, second at both Fakenham and Market Rasen recently, went one better, having been pushed up with the leaders with a mile to go. He took it up two hurdles out and despite a challenge from runner-up Golden Games, won by three lengths with the staying on Harriet's Ark third.
Another previous Fakenham winner, Alright Benny, tried to make all in the East Bilney Chase but the top weight couldn't give a stone and a half to favourite Moneymix and the grey gelding won well under Adam Wedge for trainer Ali Stronge, returned the 2/1 favourite.
The finale went to bottom weight Zero Visibility at 4/1. Alex Dunn, also the trainer, made all riding the gelding and stormed home from favourite Nouailhas who inherited second spot when Ogaritmo was the only faller of the day, at the last flight.
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