Warwick two-timer extends McCoy lead

Champion jockey Tony McCoy came to Warwick with 141 winners in the bag for the season, giving him a lead of 37 over Richard Johnson in the race for the jockeys’ title.

He had ridden a treble on the card in 2009 and his followers were hoping that Mauritino, his first mount of the day, would oblige in the Whitson Bloodstock Ltd Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.

They were to be disappointed as Mauritino finished tailed off behind Eastwell Smiles who, despite not being fluent at the last flight, ran on well under Johnson to win by the minimum margin of a nose.

Although drifting in the betting on the course, the runner-up Richmond had been heavily backed in the morning from 100-30 to 15-8 and Ian Williams’ charge only just failed to land the gamble.

Only three runners contested the third and McCoy was looking to get on the scoresheet with Rock Noir for his retaining owner JP McManus.

Rock Noir had beaten one of his rivals Qozak by 20 lengths at Exeter at level weights at the beginning of November, but there was a difference of seven pounds in Qozak’s favour here. Added to that, Rock Noir had not jumped fluently in a subsequent race at Bangor when tailed off against Fiendish Friend, so there was all to play for.

At the off, punters had made the third of the runners, Keki Buku, the 11-8 market leader, but it was Rock Noir who led three fences from home to win at a canter by seven lengths.

McCoy doubled up aboard hot favourite Alverstone in the EBF Mares “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle for trainer Lawney Hill to stretch his lead over Johnson at the top of the table.

Mr Big had run well over Cheltenham’s cross-country course before finishing second at Towcester and he duly went one better in the long-distance chase under promising conditional jockey Peter Toole, running on well to deny McCoy and Rate of Knots by a head, with Arnold Layne showing his best form for some time back in third.

Another jockey to ride a double was Daryl Jacob, who rounded off the afternoon by taking the last two races.

Jacob has already landed one big race this season aboard Diamond Harry in the Hennessy Gold Cup and he is well on the way to his best score.

Silver Dollars prevailed by just a neck from Rateable Value in the TurfTV Handicap Chase, but Shuil Legend had one-and-a-half lengths to spare over top-weight Cresswell Crusader in the concluding National Hunt Flat Race.