Horse racing: Longsdon joins big league after Paintball hits target

Charlie Longsdon has threatened to break into the big league for a while and the victory of Paintball in Saturday’s Paddy Power Imperial Cup at Sandown will help him take that next step.

With a £75,000 bonus on the line if he can follow up in the County Hurdle on Friday, Longsdon, who is enjoying his best season winners-wise, is now desperate to break his Festival duck.

A wind operation has worked miracles for Paintball and he cruised in behind the leaders for much of the race before Noel Fehily pressed the button.

“We had a nice winner in the Doncaster Sales bumper at Newbury last weekend but this betters it,” said Longsdon, whose current total of 57 winners has easily exceeded his best from five previous seasons with a licence.

“We can go into Cheltenham with a smile on our faces now.

“He wasn’t finishing off his races this season so we gave him the breathing operation. Noel said he felt a different horse to the one he rode in November.”

Ambion Wood made light of his 11st 12lb burden to take the EBF paddypower.com ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final by five lengths.

Denis O’Regan sat perfectly still towards the front of the pack and had still not played his hand jumping the final flight but Ambion Wood (14-1) had plenty in the tank.

Dover’s Hill (8-1), the only jumper in Mary Hambro’s care, has been lined up for next month’s Bet365 Gold Cup after winning the Mobile Betting At paddypower.com Handicap Chase. Evidently a spring horse, who won twice in a row this time last year, Dover’s Hill held off Ballyfoy who finished a neck behind.

Alan King’s Call Me A Star won the Mares’ Bumper and is now set for a trip to Liverpool for the Aintree equivalent.

Aintree is also on the agenda for Sanctuaire (2-5 favourite), who had little more than a schooling session in the paddypower.com Extra Places At Cheltenham Novices’ Chase.

In Dubai, Capponi continued his progress with a win in Round Three of the Al Maktoum Challenge.

In the other Group One race Master Of Hounds (16-1) won the Jebel Hatta with favourite Mutahadee, also saddled by Mike de Kock, finishing third. De Kock also had earlier success with Mickdaam winning the Al Bastakiya.

Elsewhere, Nazreef (14-1) won a three-way finish in the William Hill Lincoln Trial Handicap at Wolverhampton and in Ireland Flemenstar took his winning run to four in the Naas Directors Plate Novice Chase, Peter Casey’s seven-year-old outjumping his rival Bog Warrior.