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Newbury report: Rok stars for Cheltenham heroine Bridget Andrews
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Thu 21 Dec 2023
By Racinguk.com staff
Bridget Andrews enjoyed another moment centre stage after Roksana completed a hat-trick when staying on in tenacious fashion to land the EBF & TBA Mares' "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle Finale at Newbury.
Having celebrated victory aboard the Dan Skelton-trained Mohaayed in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, the conditional jockey teamed up with the Alcester handler to good effect once again, as she stepped in for her partner Harry Skelton to take the Grade Two contest.
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Watch how Roksana and Andrews clicked at Newbury
Taking command of the extended two-and-a-half-mile prize on the run to the final flight, the 8-1 chance found plenty for pressure to see off Kalahari Queen by two and three-quarter lengths.
Andrews said to Racing UK: "It has been unbelievable. Harry was meant to ride her, but unfortunately he has been stood down for a bit longer (following a fall at Cheltenham). She is a fair horse.
"Harry is delighted as long as I am on them and he takes it pretty well. He helps me so much as he knows them inside out."
Winning trainer Skelton said: "She was a bit keen throughout the race and we've not run her since December. We always had this race in mind for her. She has always looked like a good mare at home and on the track the last twice. She stayed the trip well.
"I would be encouraged to say that is enough for the season. She is going to make a hell of a horse next year as well, as she is only getting going with life.
"She will definitely go another year over hurdles and you would have to go down the David Nicholson (Mares' Hurdle) route next season."
Keeping Mister Chow closer to home may be key after the Gary Moore-trained four-year-old left a below-par Haydock effort behind when getting the better of Oistrakh Le Noir by half a length in the Be Wiser Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.
Moore said of the 13-2 winner: "He toughed it out very well. He looked good at Warwick. It was just a mess of a race at Haydock and he didn't settle.
"He fried his head before the race and his mind was not right. It was the first time he had travelled a long way from home and whether that got to him, I don't know.
"The plan was to come here if he was all right. We could go to Sandown on the last day of the season."
Thomas Patrick (5-1) let his jumping do the talking as he ground his rivals into submission to claim the Insure With Be Wiser Handicap Chase by eight lengths under champion jockey Richard Johnson.
Trainer Tom Lacey said: "He was really good today.. He deserved a stab at the Devon National. He had a really bad overreach and that stopped him as much as anything.
"We felt after the Devon National he was not helped by the hustle and bustle on the inside.
"Richard Johnson popped him out and he jumped really accurately and he punished those with inaccurate jumping in behind."
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