17:48 That’s it from a very cold Carlisle and not even the most optimistic person could say this has been the best afternoons racing held at the Cumbrian track.

We had to wait until late in the day to see some good horses with the first three home in the bumper all catching the eye.

However the highlight must be Ripalong Lad, who really did ripalong in the closing stages to take the 3m chase.

Tomorrow we move from the North West to the North East with live reports from the National Hunt card at Hexham.

17:45 “Fun” before and after the Countryside Family Day Here 1st November Standard Open NH Flat Race.

Coffa Crag was withdrawn at the start and Glaced Over was so keen to get out of the cold he tried to run out passing the stables and was then pulled up by his rider.

Bob Will and South Leinster shared the donkey work up front and were joined by Playing The field two furlongs out.

However it was two running on contenders who figured where it mattered with Last Of The Bunch and Glingermill both running on to good effect in the final furlong and a half.

Last Of The Bunch hit the front inside the final furlong then drifting to the right and doing South Leinster no favours whatsoever, although it had no impact on the final result.

Glingermill’s run turned out to be not quite as good as it first looked and he was unable to overhaul South Leinster for the runners-up spot.

17:09 Our longest contest of the afternoon the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation Handicap Chase, over 3m 110yds saw a decimated field face the starter, with four of the scheduled ten runners dropping out.

Sam Cruise took a strong hold to the start and an even stronger hold in the race itself, with commentator Darren Owen summing it up perfectly when describing his pace being as Stewards Cup pace.

The only real surprise was he held the lead until the 15th  fence.

By contrast AP McCoy held up the favourite, Native City, happy to follow all his rivals, although it has to be said his jumping was sketchy at times.    

Once Sam Cruise ceded the lead Ripalong Lad took up the running and the initial impression was the lead would be short lived. However Peter Bowens runner turned out to be more resilient than first thought.

Not only did he hold onto the lead he took the contest pulling away running up the run-in like a fresh horse coming home twelve length clear of his rivals.

Nelliedonethat looked to be booked for the runners-up berth but McCoy refused to give up on the favourite and despite having no chance of winning the contest he managed to get the top weight up to grab second on the line.

16:35 One of those contests that can be torn from the form book as soon as you receive it.

Sea Cove set the initial pace but it was not enough for Border Fox who charged into the front and was soon pulling away as if it was a five furlong sprint at Epsom, rather then the 2m 1f Northern Racing Club Conditional Jockey’s Handicap Hurdle.

Border Fox can be completely ignored as far as form is concerned.

The main group was well bunched in front with Sea Cove, Knight Valliant and Root Cause contesting at the head of the group.

There was some drama at the fourth where Waldo Winchester ran out, demolishing the wing of the flight.

It took until approaching two out for Border Fox to finally be reeled in, where Sea Cove, Root Cause and Cash Man were all to the fore.

Benmadigan was running on best of all and hit the front between the final two flights.

Chip N Pin was briefly in with a chance and flattered to deceive.

Wensleydale Web also put in a strong closing run and was closing on Benmadigan but the line came in time and Nicky Richards runner held on by a diminishing ¾ length.

15:56 Race four was the Fantails Restaurant Handicap Chase over two miles.

It was a race won by tactics and arguably gifted to the winner, who turned out to be Some Touch, giving a 195/1 treble on the afternoon for Howard Johnson and Denis O’Regan.

O’Regan set out to make all, even denying the front running Go Silver Bullet a lead, the pace was steady and his rivals seemed happy to give him the lead.

As night follows day the field closed up in the final stages but nothing was able to mount a serious challenge and O’Regan had enough in hand to hold off the late challenges of Nudge And Nurdle and High Bird Humphrey.

15:31 It was quite surreal in the parade ring before the Cleanevent Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, a 2m 4f contest.

On the one hand was Cinaman, who was so diminutive and on the other Liz’s Dream who is absolutely huge.

Cinaman hit the headlines though, but for the wrong reasons as she unshipped Graham Lee at the start and was withdrawn.

Desert Soul was the hare in this contest and set off at a fast place, at one point easily having a lead of a good dozen lengths.

 Inevitably he came back to the field and was swamped down the back straight for the final time.

Pugnacity hit the front as they turned for home, although Oscar Trial stayed with him. Tantobie was also on their quarters and Seamus Durack began to make good progress on Dunroby House.

Pugnacity still had the lead two out but Dunroby House was making relentless progress and just shaded the lead coming to the last, with both Pugnacity and Tantobi in contention.

On the long run-in Dunroby House was by far the better and eased into the lead, chased home by Tantobie. Sea Venture made very good late progress to finish third, with Pugnacity one paced in fourth.

The favourite, One Black Cat, was running on in the final stages coming home a never nearer fifth.

14:48 Well we may only have had two races but it is already turning into a good afternoon for trainer Howard Johnson and jockey Denis O’Regan as they have a quick double in taking the Edinburgh Woolen Mills Beginners Chase over 2m 4f with Checkerboard.

Virtually making all, Dream Along vied for the lead and had his head in front for a short while, he was challenged at the last by Lease Lend and it looked as though Dougie Costello was going to steal the race.

However Checkerboard quickened better on the run0in to claim a length and a half victory. In defence of Lease Lend the ground was probably firmer than he would have liked and he needs more give in the ground.

Gansey was prominent throughout and came home third.

The disappointment of the contest was the favourite Middleton Dene, held up early doors abut unable to make any significant progress when it mattered, passing beaten runners to finish fourth, he was never a threat to the leaders.  

14:21 The opening Whitehorseracing.co.uk Novices Hurdle, over 2m 1f, was never going to be the most inspirational contest in the history of the sport.

The betting had it as a two horse race with McMurrough sent off the 1/2 favourite and Howard Johnson’s Alvardo the 3/1 second favourite – 14/1 bar.

Well the front two in the betting duly took the first two places but not in the way the betting suggested.

To be honest the favourite never looked like winning tracking the front running trio of Scrum V, Tipsy Indian and Cocoa Key, all of whom looked to be running more fluently.
McMurrough also made a slight mistake two out.

Alvardo, on the other hand, had been on his toes in the ring and had been taken to the start slowly. In the contest he was settled quietly mid division.

Denis O’Regan asked for an effort between the final two flights and he made good progress to be challenging at the last.

Running on well on the run in he soon led and came home with plenty in hand.

McMurrough finally got the hang of things and was doing his best work in the closing stages, but never doing enough to challenge the winner.

13:38 The wind is picking up, now strong head on in the straight.

12:35 Good afternoon from Carlisle where it is mainly overcast with some blue patches, there is a chilly breeze.

We currently have eighty non-runners.

07:28 It has been a dry night in Cumbria and the going is Good to Firm, Good in Places.

Our selections are:-

Thursday 20:24

The latest update from the course is:-

Going

Good, Good to Firm in places (GoingStick: 7.7 on Wednesday at 13:00)

Dry overnight with a dry day forecast for Thursday. After a dry start to Friday, there will be the chance of some light rain showers throughout the day

Return to race archive:

Non-Runners

The time in brackets is the time the horse was officially declared a non-runner.

SC - Self Certificate
VC - Vet's Certificate

14:00
3 Arran Law (going)
4 Broadway Star (lame - VC 13:25 Thu)
6 Dowd's Destiny (going - 12:19)

14:30
4 Etxalar (going - 09:44)
8 Mr Barnacle (going)

15:05
16 Diktatorship (not eaten up - 08:49)

3:40
1 Camden George (going)
8 Gingerbank (going)

16:15
11 Lewis's World
13 Mr Midnight (Other - sc 12:01)

16:50
3 Bobby Bullock
4 Potts Of Magic (lame - VC 10:01)
6 Downing Street (bad scope - SC 12:38 Thu)
8 Coldwells

17:25
2 Candleford (cast in box - SC 08:59)


Results

14:00 Novices' Hurdle 2m 1f

1st 2 Alvardo 3/1
2nd 8 McMurrough 1/2 fav
3rd 5 Cocoa Key 33/1
12 Ran Nr's 3, 4 & 6
Distances 3 3/4 & 1/2
Fav second
Tote
Win £3.40
Places £1.10 £1.02 £7.10
Exacta £5.50
CSF £4.63
Time 4' 11.44"

14:30 Beginners Chase 2m 4f

1st 2 Checkerboard 6/1
2nd 6 Lend Lease 5/1
7 Ran Nr's 4 & 8
Distances 1 1/2
Fav 7 Middleton Dene 7/4 (4th)
Tote
Win £8.80
Places £2.60 £2.30
Exacta £32.00
CSF £34.04
Time 4' 58.65"

15:05 Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f

1st 2 Dunroby House 22/1
2nd 10 Tantobi 20/1
3rd 1 Sea Venture 4/1
4th 15 Pugnacity 9/2
16 Ran Nr 16 w/d 18 Cinaman
Distances 3 & 1 3/4
Fav 4 On My Terms 7/2 (5th)
Tote
Win £32.60
Places £4.60 £4.20 £2.10 £1.60
Exacta £425.20
CSF £375.01
Tricast £2,138.83
Time 4' 54.1"

15:40 Handicap Chase 2m

1st 7 Some Touch 6/1
2nd 10 Nudge And Nurdle 6/4 fav
3rd 9 High Bird Humphrey 13/2
8 Ran Nr's 1 & 8
Distances 2 1/4 & nose
Fav second
Tote
Win £5.00
Places £2.30 £1.10 £1.80
Exacta £12.60
CSF £14.95
Tricast £54.56
Time 3' 58.1"

16:15 Handicap Hurdle 2m 1f

1st 5 Benmadigan 7/1
2nd 7 Wensleydale Web 10/1
3rd 2 Root Cause 10/1
12 Ran Nr 13
Distances 3/4 & neck
Fav 3 It's All About You 3/1 (4th)
Tote
Win £7.50
Places £2.70 £3.50 £3.80
Exacta £46.80
CSF £72.97
Tricast £699.72
Time 4' 15.31"

16:50 Handicap Chase 3m 110yds

1st 7 Ripalong Lad 13/2
2nd 1 Native Lad 13/8 fav
6 Ran Nr's 3, 4, 6 & 8
Distances 12
Fav second
Tote
Win £11.10
Places £4.40 £1.10
Exacta £28.90
CSF £18.77
Tricast £52.50
Time no time recorded

17:25 Open NH Flat 2m 1f

1st 17 Last Of The Bunch 25/1
2nd 13 South Leinster 3/1
3rd 7 Glingermill 5/2 fav
15 Ran Nr 2 w/d 8
Distances 3 & 3
Fav third
Tote
Win £28.10
Places £4.30 £2.20 £1.70
Exacta £236.40
CSF £97.82
Time 4' 00.4"