Innocent Girl hits Taunton target for Harry Fry and Kieron Edgar

Innocent Girl continued her excellent run of form since joining Harry Fry with a battling success at Taunton.The eight-year-old appeared to have lost her way a couple of years ago when trained by Lucinda Russell, but seems to have been reinvigorated by a spell point-to-pointing with Jack Barber.She bolted up on her debut for Fry at Southwell last October and having since added to her tally with victories at Towcester and Fontwell, she was a 4-1 shot on her return from a near five-month break in the Archer Mann Supports The RNLI Novices' Handicap Chase.Having been held up by conditional jockey Kieron Edgar, Innocent Girl made good headway in the back straight and after hitting the front between the final two obstacles, she found plenty for pressure on the run-in to see off Shrewd Tactics by three-quarters of a length. Fry said: "She's done really well and I thought Kieron gave her a really good ride. "She was running off a 14lb higher mark than when we last saw her. We deliberately gave her a break during the winter and waited for better ground."We'll keep her on the go now and hopefully she can continue the same way she's been going."Master Burbidge was an authoritative winner of the Farmers Arms Combe Florey RNLI Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Noel Fehily.Neil Mulholland's six-year-old was the 4-1 favourite to follow up last month's course and distance success and ultimately did so with plenty in hand, passing the post four and a half lengths clear of Tikkinthebox.Master Burbridge is already pencilled in to contest the Pertemps Champions Willberry Charity Race at Cheltenham on April 20 under ITV Racing presenter Alice Fox-Pitt. "That was grand. I thought he travelled well and jumped well and did it well in the end," said Mulholland. "We'll see where we go from here. He is due to go for a charity race in Cheltenham in a few weeks' time with Alice Plunkett (Fox-Pitt) riding him."Whether we can run him again before then, we'll see." Robbie Power was out of luck on his first day as retained rider for Alan and Ann Potts. Power recently sported the green, yellow and red silks to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup on the Jessica Harrington-trained Sizing John.It was confirmed on Wednesday he would begin a new phase in his career as the number one jockey for the leading owners and he journeyed to Somerset to kick off his new role.His first ride was aboard the Colin Tizzard-trained Sizing At Midnight, but he jumped just five flights in the John 'Freddy' Kenyon RNLI Crewman Memorial Maiden Hurdle before being pulled up sharply.Victory in the two-mile-three-furlong contest went to Paul Nicholls and Sam Twiston-Davies via 6-4 favourite Touch Kick. Power's second and final mount was on Tizzard's Sizing Granite, who won a Grade One novice chase at Aintree a couple of years ago when trained by Henry de Bromhead. Having been in disappointing form of late, most recently pulling up in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, he reverted to the smaller obstacles in the Chetwood Wealth Management Supports The RNLI Handicap Hurdle, but could only finish fifth behind his stablemate Valhalla (7-1).Jonjo O'Neill's 5-6 favourite Timeforwest followed up his Market Rasen victory of three days earlier with an emphatic 16-length success in the Charles Stanley RNLI Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.The concluding Vine Wine Taunton RNLI Handicap Chase went to Abracadabra Sivola (9-2) for David Pipe and David Noonan.