Wexford result: The Big Westerner wins Michael Hickey Memorial Chase

The Big Westerner made a winning return in the Michael Hickey Memorial Chase at Wexford on Wednesday, reported an easy winner of the 3.10pm Listed contest under Darragh O’Keeffe.

The seven-year-old, trained by Henry de Bromhead, was returning to the track in the 2m 7f chase after more than ten months off. However, there was no sign of cobwebs to be blown away, as De Bromhead’s mare travelled comfortably throughout and repelled her only serious danger, runner-up Bossofthebrownies, to record a runaway success.

This was just her third run over fences, having got off the mark at the second attempt in chases last season. The former Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle runner-up will likely compete at a high level this term, potentially even beyond mares’ company, as this victory would suggest.

Skelton double at Chepstow

Dan and Harry Skelton teamed up to launch the hurdling careers of two very promising types on Wednesday at Chepstow.

First off, St James’s Finest made a successful bow for in the first division of Chepstow’s maiden hurdle. The five-year-old pulled readily clear by 13 lengths from Order On Time, the odds-on favourite trained by Paul Nicholls. Skelton’s winner had previously been talked of highly by his trainer.

The pair completed their double when A Sight To Sea won the second division on his first start over hurdles. He was clear when making a slight mistake at the penultimate flight, but quickly recovered his rhythm and drew away again to beat The Lightmaker by 14 lengths.

Commercial notice: This article on GG.co.uk contains affiliate links. The offers we promote come from operators that we trust and our experts have first-hand experience dealing with. If you open an account through one of these affiliate links then GG will earn revenue. However, we ensure that the money earned goes back into improving and enhancing our coverage of horse racing and other sports, as we look to provide an excellent service to our growing audience.