Loughalder gets the better of Bally Sands for a second time at Warwick

Stone Light and jockey Aidan Coleman on their way to victory at Warwick last Sunday. The curtain comes down on the courses jumps season on Wednesday, with the first race due off at 2.20pm. Picture: Les Hurley

Highlight of the meeting was the 32Red Immortal Romance Slot Handicap Chase over three miles and five furlongs.

Last year’s event proved a real thriller with Cerium looking to have the prize in safe keeping, only to stumble at the last and hand the race to Bally Sands.

The winner almost doubled up at the last meeting but, having led from the off, was himself caught at the final fence and beaten by Loughalder.

The two locked horns again on Sunday, with Bally Sands sent off the 7-2 favourite to turn the tables.

But, with Bally Sands fading in the home straight, it was Loughalder who proved the stronger, defying a rise in the weights to beat the staying-on Jaunty Journey by nine lengths.

There were 13 runners in the opening racinguk.com Handicap Hurdle (The Jockey Club Grassroots Jumps Series Qualifier) over two miles and five furlongs and bottom weight Sweet Boy Vic was sent off favourite to break his duck.

His backers knew their fate from some way out as Sweet Boy Vic started to struggle and it was left to top-weight Wily Fox and Miss Lucky Penny to fight out the finish, with Peterbrown, backed from 20-1 to 12-1, running on well to snatch third place.

Next up was the EBF Stallions/TBA Mares’ Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, one of 12 races in a series that culminates in a final at Cheltenham in April.

With two non-runners, just three faced the starter and Spirit Oscar took the field along at a good pace.

But market leader Stone Light was always travelling well in her slipstream and jumped into the lead at the second last fence.

With Spirit Oscar stumbling at the last to put paid to her chances, Stone Light pulled away on the run-in to give trainer Venetia Williams her 76th winner of the season.

Walk On Al and Algernon Pazham looked the two to back in the novices’ hurdle and they came into the home straight locked together.

Both were untidy at the last flight, coming close in mid-air, but Sam Twiston-Davies forced Algernon Pazham ahead to win by a neck.

The fourth was a race for conditional jockeys and it went to one of the most experienced riders in Gavin Sheehan, who got Good Of Luck up to beat Mr Fickle.

In the first of the hunter chases, Pentiffic, yet another winner for Venetia Williams, got back up to beat Shrewd Investment on the run-in to take the Air Wedding Challenge Trophy and, in the second, Golan Way made all the running to lift the Crudwell Challenge Cup.