McCoy lands winner despite another fall

Having looked a little lame following a crunching fall at Fontwell on Tuesday, there was a gasp from the stands as the perennial champion jockey came to grief on Take Of Shoc’s.

But McCoy does not have his reputation as the toughest in the weighing room for nothing, and later gave Nick Gifford’s Christopher Wren (13-8 favourite) a confident ride in the Mirror Punters Club Handicap Hurdle.

Allotted a mark of 120 having finished second and first in his previous two hurdle races, the four-year-old has the look of one who could go on to something better having finished third in the Melrose Handicap on the Flat in 2010. McCoy had to keep him up to his work after the last, but held off Dhaafer by two and a half lengths with Afsoun third.

Not many jockeys can say they have ridden winners on two generations of a family, but Andrew Thornton joined that list by partnering Russian Conquest (8-1) to victory in the Connie Wishes You Winners Novices’ Handicap Chase.

Thornton rode Kellys Conquest to victory at Cheltenham in 2000, and six years later she gave birth to Russian Conquest, who had shown very little in his seven previous races to date but benefited from a change in tactics. The Seamus Mullins-trained five-year-old had trouble rounding the first bend but soon warmed to the task to beat Al Amaan by three lengths. “I can’t remember ever riding a winner who was the son of another winner I’ve ridden,” said Thornton.

Meanwhile, Nicky Richards has been dealt a blow with the news Skippers Brig is unlikely to run again this season. The ten-year-old, who finished ninth in the Grand National last term, made a pleasing reappearance when running Always Right to two and a quarter lengths at Kelso on Sunday. He returned with an injury and Richards has been forced to abort plans to run him in the Lexus at Christmas.