Diva Luna takes Warwick's feature race to set up a double for trainer Ben Pauling
Diva Luna, trained by Ben Pauling, ran out an impressive winner of the £32,500 eventmasters.co.uk Lady Godiva Mares' Novices' Chase, feature race of Warwick's Eventmasters Christmas At The Races meeting.
Sent off a long-odds on favourite, Diva Luna made it two Listed wins in a row, jumping well and making most of the running to easily beat outsider Blue Las and Wyenot. Her next outing will be in the Grade 1 Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices' Chase at Sandown Park at the end of January, a race which Pauling won with Handstands this year.
There was a shock for favourite backers in the opening Heat Your Home With Alpha Fillies' Juvenile Maiden Hurdle over two miles when odds-on favourite Made U Blush, trained by Dan Skelton, could only finish third to Cloaks Of Gold. It was ex-French Miss Carbo who took the field along down the back straight, with Cloaks Of Gold in close attendance, and the two had the race to themselves in the home straight with Made U Blush, who had led early, never able to bridge the gap.
Skelton didn't have to wait long to get on the scoresheet, however, as Moneygarrow, having his first run since wind surgery, led all the way to take the following Aztec Aerosols Contract Filling Maiden Hurdle. Moneygarrow had finished behind the well-regarded No Drama This End at Cheltenham last month and was always holding the challenge of second-favourite Step Ahead, forging clear on the run-in to win by seven lengths.
Chuggy was bidding to give Skelton another winner in the Aztec Aerosols Spray Some Joy Novices' Handicap Chase and he readily overcame a 9lb rise in the weights for his recent course success, making all the running and jumping superbly to beat Norn Iron in the style of an improving young horse.
Yellow Star carried top weight of 11-10 to a comfortable success in the SG Fleet In Partnership With Barnardos Handicap Hurdle, leading at the final flight and putting four lengths between himself and Libre De Choeur to record a ninth success in the last two weeks for the in-form stable of Gary & Josh Moore.
The best finish of the afternoon came in the Larkshill Engineering Handicap Chase as, at the end of three miles, there was just a head between Jupiter Des Bordes and House Of Habsburg. They had jumped the final two fences in unison before Jupiter Des Bordes, ridden by Charlie Maggs, prevailed on the run-in with the third horse, Star Of Diamonds, fully 26 lengths behind.
The biggest field of afternoon lined up for the concluding Whites Of Coventry & JIC Logistics Ltd National Hunt Flat Race for conditional and amateur jockeys and it went to newcomer Old Clayesmorian, whose sister Betty's Daisy won over the course in February, to give trainer Ben Pauling a double on the afternoon.