Horaces Pearl tees up Aintree return with Newbury stroll

Fergal O’Brien’s Horaces Pearl could be in line for a step up in grade having maintained his unbeaten record in sublime fashion at Newbury on Friday.

The seven-year-old won all three outings in bumpers last term, finishing his season with Grade Two success at Aintree’s Grand National meeting in the spring, and made a faultless hurdling bow at Huntingdon in November.

Sent off the 5-6 favourite to enhance his reputation in the Watch Weekend Winners Powered By BetVictor “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle, there was barely a moment’s worry for jockey Connor Brace as he stalked Tom Symonds’ Lud’or up the home straight before easily breezing past that rival for a five-and-a-half-length strike.

Horaces Pearl could now return to the scene of his finest hour, with O’Brien minded to freshen up his charge for a crack at the Grade One Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle on Grand National day.

O’Brien said: “He won well and both Olly Murphy (Pierrot Jaguen in third) and Tom Symonds’ horses looked nice and we weren’t overly sure about the ground there.

“Full credit to the guys who look after him, as you can see from the amount of times he has run he’s a bit fragile and you have to get him there on the day – and they have done a great job with him.

“I’m delighted for the owners Matt and Sally Burford and he is named after Sally’s parents, Horace and Pearl, so I’m chuffed for them.

“He will probably stay further than this, but he’s just a lovely horse and we’re very lucky to have him. I’d like to think he’ll go to Aintree now for the two-and-a-half-mile novice and he’s definitely earned a go at that. Having won there last year, it’ll just be a case of teeing him up for that now.”

Sam Drinkwater’s Rath Gaul Hill enhanced his fine course record when bringing up a hat-trick in the Howden Supporting West Berkshire Mencap Handicap Chase, while Gary and Josh Moore’s Give It To Me Oj got off the mark over hurdles with a facile success in the Get Best Odds Guaranteed At BetVictor Juvenile Hurdle.

“On his previous runs, he was entitled to win today and I was very pleased with him,” said Gary Moore of his 4-9 favourite.

“He’s quite a nice horse and he wants to be because he has a mark of 122. There’s not a lot of leeway there.

“The reason we haven’t done a lot of racing with him is because he’ll go back on the Flat, but there’s a couple of handicaps for him before the end of the season.

“There’s one at Sandown next weekend and that might come soon enough, but the race at Ascot (Sodexo Live! Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, March 30) is probably the race for him.”