Watch: Laurens Bay surges to remarkable Sandown success

Laurens Bay produced a remarkable finish to win the European Breeders’ Fund Betfair ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final at Sandown.

The Jamie Snowden-trained gelding had won one of his four previous hurdles, with the bookmakers rating him a 33-1 shot against the likes of 11-4 favourite Belliano.

It looked as though he was going to live up to that outsider’s price throughout much of the two-and-a-half-mile contest, racing way off the pace and with only a couple of rivals behind him turning for home.

However, as eventual placed runners Off The Jury and Meetmebythesea settled down to battle it out in front, Laurens Bay began to stay on from the back of the field.

He was barely in shot as the leaders jumped the final flight but responded to jockey Gavin Sheehan’s every urging on the run to the line, sprinting past runners to emerge on the scene with the winning post in sight.

Laurens Bay grabbed the lead in the final stride, edging a neck verdict over Off The Jury much to the delight of Snowden, who had been delayed by a flat tyre on his journey to the track and had to watch his charge’s incredible run on his phone before eventually making it to the racecourse.

“We’ve had a nightmare and a blow out on the passenger-side rear tyre on the M3 and there were traffic problems so I had to watch it in the car. It was a bit of a nightmare journey but it’s a brilliant result and that’s all that matters,” said Snowden.

“It was me who fixed the flat tyre and as a trainer you are dependent on the team around you and when I was stranded the guys did a wonderful job, they got the horse saddled and ready and here I am rushing in like a scruffy, dusty lunatic!

“It wasn’t exactly the plan to be so far back but he does stay well and he wants soft ground. We ran him at Ascot to qualify in January time and the ground was good and he was completely taken off his feet round Ascot on good ground.

“Today I was worried the ground was drying and the plan was to go forward but Gavin couldn’t really go forward and humoured him around and then hit the hill on the softer ground and has stayed on brilliantly.

“He’s going to be a lovely chaser for next year, he’s a lovely stamp of a horse. Chasing has always been our plan so we’ll enjoy today and he definitely wants softer ground, so I think he will be in the field before too long.”

Sheehan admitted he had thought about pulling up Laurens Bay at one point in the race.

He said: “I was flat out from the word go and never really comfortable and never really travelling. He jumped well to be fair and down the back he started to travel a bit smoother, but then they started to pick up after jumping the last down the back and going to two-out, I was actually thinking about pulling up.

“It wasn’t because he was tired, it was just because he wasn’t travelling, wasn’t happy and I thought the race was gone for me.

“I just kept persevering away and he started to get a bit more competitive and they started to come back in front, then he got a nice jump at the last and the line wasn’t coming quick enough for the ones in front and nearly a bit too quick for me.

“He’s a lovely horse to ride and you are thinking about pulling up because he will be an exciting chaser next season. He’s just come through and he’s probably done it well in the end and all credit to Jamie and his team.”