Chauvinist romp

Chauvinist continued the tremendous recent run of his trainer, Nicky Henderson, by winning the Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle in runaway style, although most of the action was invisible to those watching from the stands with only the closing stages able to be seen through the fog that hung around the Berkshire course all afternoon.

It seemed as though Whistling Dixie was giving Chauvinist a race when, according to his rider, Alan Dempsey, he fell when challenging at the second last, leaving the Henderson horse and Norman Williamson to come home 15 lengths clear of Idaho d'Ox, the first home of Martin Pipe's four runners.

Pipe had more influence on the result of this race than he can have known as he ran Puntal in a novices' hurdle here on Friday instead of the Ladbroke. Henderson had intended to run Chauvinist in the novice race. 'I realised he would have got only 5lb from Puntal yesterday, yet he was set to get 25lb in this race.' That made the choice easy for the trainer, although stable jockey Mick FitzGerald, who rode five winners for Henderson at Newbury on Wednesday, could not get down as low as 10st to ride Chauvinist, prompting Henderson to say: 'I feel very sorry for Mick. Chauvinist would have won with 10st 3lb, 10st 4lb or 10st 5lb, but you can't put up overweight in races like this.' So FitzGerald rode Valerio, for whom the ground went too soft, claimed Henderson.

Whistling Dixie, who races in the colours of Mrs Savill, wife of the British Horseracing Board chairman Peter, is still in the Pierse Hurdle at Leopardstown next month, for which he has been cut from 25-1 to 12-1 by Paddy Power. That is of absolutely no consolation to those of us who backed him yesterday. Let us hope he is all right after this mishap.

Paul Nicholls produced a fine piece of training, saddling Young Devereaux to land the cantorindex.co.uk Handicap Chase after more than a year off the course under Ruby Walsh, who slimmed down in an attempt to make 10st. Though he lost that battle by a pound, the overweight did not cost him the race.

As the leaders emerged from the gloom at the second last, Young Devereaux had taken the lead from Get Real, who fell with Seebald hot on his heels. When Young Devereaux pecked on landing at the last, handing the initiative to Seebald, it looked as though Walsh's slimming efforts had not been quite enough but Seebald was conceding 25lb and Young Devereaux was able to wrest back the lead, winning by a length.

Nicholls said: 'He is a hugely talented horse. He has just been a nightmare to train. I needed to get a race into him before the Victor Chandler Chase here next month.' Nicholls referred to the £120,000 Victor Chandler as 'the big one' but this race, with prizemoney of £50,000, was a pretty handy little one. Young Devereaux is likely to be 12lb worse off with Seebald in the Victor Chandler if, as expected, Edredon Bleu does not run.

In the following cantorsport.co.uk Silver Cup Handicap Chase, the Nicholls representative, Exit To Wave, failed by a neck to overhaul Behrajan, who was making a welcome return to form after flopping at Navan first time out.

Behrajan, who made much of the running, was stalked by Exit To Wave throughout the final circuit but he held on gamely on the run-in to register his first win for almost a year.

Behrajan was showing the benefits of a visit to Yogi Breisner, to whom trainer Henry Daly sent him for reschooling. Behrajan jumped soundly in the main. 'I don't know what Yogi does and I don't really care,' said Daly, sounding like a relieved man. Breisner's talents are in great demand and he has sorted out the jumping of hundreds of horses, so perhaps Daly would do well to find out what goes on.

Visibility was so poor at the beginning of day that the stewards decided that the final flight of hurdles be moved 100yards nearer to the win ning line so as to ensure that it was visible from the judge's box, a prerequisite for racing taking place. But by 3.25 conditions were deemed unfit to continue racing, depriving Tony McCoy of an attempt to complete the fastest 200 winners in a season on Control Man in the bumper.

The champion jockey, who moved on to 199 with success on Tarxien in the novices' chase, still has three weeks to beat the record he set last season. He is likely to have some good rides at Kempton on Boxing Day, including on Best Mate in the King George.