Juby gets the Ball rolling with impressive jumping bow

Evan Williams was delighted to get the show on the road with the talented Juby Ball after he impressed on his belated hurdling debut at Ffos Las.

Owned by Williams’ long-time backers the Ruckers, the six-year-old had looked a useful proposition when winning a bumper at the track in November 2023 and lost nothing in defeat when bumping into the well-regarded Sixmilebridge at Sandown in that sphere last February.

He was due to return to the Esher track to make his hurdling bow in Listed company in December before suffering problems getting to the South London venue on a weekend when strong winds battered the country.

Finally stepping out on course for the DragonBet Supporting British Racing Maiden Hurdle, he was sent off at 5-1 in the hands of Adam Wedge and having been up with the pace throughout, looked a cut above his rivals as he galloped clear after the last for a four-length success.

Williams said: “He’s a nice horse and the weather has been against us, he’s been entered a few times and we’ve lost the meetings to the frost.

“We would have started him at Sandown but we couldn’t get there, so it has been a long time coming and we’re very grateful they have put this meeting on. It was nice to get the job done.

“Oh, I don’t know where he will slot into things and at the end of the day, this is only a starting point. I was aiming for the Listed race because it was a small field and that would have been a nice start.

“I don’t know where we’ll end up but he’s a nice raw horse who has a certain amount of ability. Where that’ll take us, I don’t know, we just hope he is lucky because he is a very nice horse.”

There was a shock in the DragonBet Born From The Betting Ring Maiden Hurdle as Neil Mulholland’s Elysian Knight edged out fellow outsider Mountain Mike to strike at 40-1.

Meanwhile, 100-30 favourite Keep Running did just as his name suggests to see off top-weight Sir Psycho and follow up his Ludlow win in November in the Download The DragonBet App Handicap Chase.

Winning trainer Warren Greatrex said: “He seems to be improving fairly fast and that was the best race he’s run in and he was very impressive, I thought.

“He jumped right-handed at times and it is the first time he has gone left-handed for me. I think we will probably have to go back right-handed but he loves his jumping and he handled that ground well and he’s a very likeable horse with not many miles on the clock – I would expect him to keep on improving.

“That was very pleasing and he’s a horse who since I’ve had him, I’ve always liked. Just last year, he wasn’t finishing his races as I liked and I was pretty sure there was an underlying wind issue, which we got sorted in the summer and he’s just turned the corner since then.

“I’m not sure what happened at Carlisle (on his reappearance) but his win at Ludlow was impressive and this was equally impressive in a better race, so I’m chuffed to bits and I would say he has a bright future going forward.”

Olly Murphy and Sean Bowen combined with Dangerous Touch (9-2) in division one of the DragonBet Still Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Hurdle, while the concluding DragonBet Real People, Real Bookmakers Open National Hunt Flat Race went the way of Dan Skelton’s 6-5 favourite Giantsgrave.

Jamie Snowden enjoyed a quickfire double in between those races with 3-1 favourite Double Click, partnered by Will Featherstone, and 7-1 chance Up For Parol, the mount of Gavin Sheehan.