Stay Away Fay powered home to land a chaotic renewal of the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle and give Harry Cobden and Paul Nicholls a second winner of the week.
The winning result will declare the six-year-old (18/1) a one-length winner over 150/1 outsider Affordable Fury for Noel Meade and Sandor Clegane (Paul Nolan) a neck further behind, but that doesn’t tell the full story.
Hot favourite Corbett’s Cross, bought by JP McManus in the days leading up to the race, looked to be coming with his run under Mark Walsh approaching the final hurdle with every chance.
But in his final strides, he jinked out and crashed through the rails, leaving the coast clear for Cobden to drive up the inside and earn a second Grade One success of the week – and a first win in the race for the Champion Trainer.
Letsbeclearaboutit stayed on well to take fourth for the Gavin Cromwell team, with fancied runner Three Card Brag only fifth for the Gordon Elliott team.
Nicholls said: “I thought he’d run well as he should have won the last day and he’s taken a step forward since then and he looked fantastic.
“We were very positive on him today, he jumped really well and it’s only the third run of his life, there’s loads of improvement to come. “We’ll probably go to Aintree with him if he’s all right, otherwise it will be chasing next year.
“He’s been quite backward, that’s the best he’s jumped today, he’s just a young, improving horse.”
He added: “At home he does all his work with Hermes Allen as they are both a bit one-paced and he has taken a big step forward.
“He probably should have won at Doncaster, he’s improved since and it’s just fantastic.
“I think Hermes Allen will probably have a wind op but he’ll go chasing too, they are two really nice horses to go chasing with.”
