3 minute read
Famous Bridge demonstrated his love for Haydock Park with a victory in the Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase on Saturday.
The seven-year-old, in the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings, was given a six pound rise in the weights for his course and distance victory at the end of November but it failed to stop the gelding in the hands of Sean Quinlan.
With Burrows Diamond clear in the home straight, it appeared that Famous Bridge had plenty of work to do but he hit the front going into the last-fence and held on well for a length victory.
"He crept away and done it grand. Sean thought he was going to win from the second last. I don't know if we would want to run him on that ground too many times as it is fairly gruelling," said Richards.
"He is a youngish horse for a chasing horse, and I think he is on the up, but you don't want to keep putting the gun to their head on that ground.
"He is a young horse, and he has not had a lot of mileage. He is improving and hopefully I want to keep seeing improvement as the handicapper is going to make sure we need to improve.
"He got the six pounds for winning last time, so I'm probably right in that he is improving a little bit.
"We know he is going to come (through near the end) as he likes to get in a battle and he is the type of horse that is hard to beat when he gets in one.
"It was fairly hard work that ground. A bit of soft ground would be grand for him."
Richards was keen to point out that he had other targets in mind for the winner, rather than an obvious trip to Merseyside for the Grand National in April.
"He won't go up enough in the weights for the National this time. We've got thoughts. I don't think we want to go extreme distances on gruelling ground yet.
"He has won two nice races now and something like the Grimthorpe we could go for. Mick (Meagher, racing manager to Hemmings Racing) would love to come back for the Peter Marsh, but I don't know if he wants to be on that ground all the time."