Coeur De Lion tamed by Don Bersy in Sandown opener

Don Bersy received introductory quotes of around 20-1 for the JCB Triumph Hurdle after he banished memories of a Warwick fall to win the 32Red Casino Juvenile Hurdle at Sandown.The 7-1 shot drew clear with odds-on favourite Coeur De Lion on the run to the second-last and found plenty as the pair scrapped out the finish to oblige by a length and a half.Winning trainer Tom Symonds said: "At Warwick, I had some fancy plans in my head but they went awry after that. He was fine after that, though."Symonds went on:"He travels beautifully and jumps well. On the grass at home he is a bit rapid, and you need to back off him sometimes, but Ben Poste has done a lot of schooling with him. "He is a nice horse and we were coming here full of hope."The owner is realistic and they like to go small rather than big."He is not the biggest but he is filling out more and more."