Mossy Fen provided Irish point-to-point graduates with a 40th victory of the season when he led home a clean sweep of the placings for ex-Irish Pointers in the Grade 2 Ballymore Leamington Novices’ Hurdle at Warwick.
The recent Catterick eye-catcher Decor Irlandais had briefly looked as though he was set to provide former northern champion Noel McParlan with a big success, when Noel Kelly’s three-time winning pointer made his way to the front at penultimate flight, however Sam Twiston Davies got a renewed effort out of Mossy Fen who loomed at the last.
With Decor Irlandais jumping out to his left at the last, it allowed Mossy Fen to land running and he dug deep up the running to win the £35,000 contest by three quarters of a length, with Turtulla winner, Shan Blue, completing the placings back in third.
That was a third success of the season over hurdles for Mossy Fen since he was bought by Willy Twiston-Davies and owner Carl Hinchy for £60,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham April Sale after winning a Loughbrickland four-year-old maiden for Donnchadh Doyle.
"Things didn't go right last time (when fourth at Cheltenham), but I'd like to see him on better ground over three miles - (that) is probably the dream,” said the winning rider Sam Twiston Davies.
"His future is chasing. You can see he has the size and scope. He was more babyish than he probably has been so far.
"He jumps to the right a little bit which doesn't bother me. He's just very green, but he has a great attitude and is a pleasure to ride."
A gutsy Mossy Fen digs deep to get the better of Decor Irlandais to secure the Grade 2 Ballymore Leamington Novices' Hurdle for @NigelTwistonDav %uD83D%uDC4F%uD83D%uDC4F pic.twitter.com/4ULkdMEilh
— Warwick Racecourse (@WarwickRaces) January 11, 2020
