Delacroix, Drumgold win easily

Delacroix and Drumgold opened the jumps season with impressive wins at Riverton yesterday.

Seven-year-old Delacroix accelerated clear in the run home to win by 171⁄ lengths in the open hurdles. Drumgold prevailed by 31⁄ lengths when having his first jumps start in a maiden hurdles event.

Waikato jockey Hamish McNeill was expecting a top run from the John and Karen Parsonstrained Delacroix.

‘‘He was the best horse in the race . . . he jumped perfectly the whole way.’’

McNeill, who works for Hamilton trainers Graeme and Debbie Rogerson, came to New Zealand from Scotland 31⁄ years ago.

‘‘I rode in a few amateur races [in Scotland] but didn’t have much success.’’

Jockey Alan Browne believed Drumgold had a bright future as a jumper. Yesterday, the St Reims gelding raced keenly at times before joining the leader Double Tap on the home turn. Double Tap tried to hold out Drumgold but the latter was too strong and kicked away.

‘‘At the fourth last [hurdle] I had a look around and nothing else was travelling as good as me. We could have won by more,’’ Browne said.

‘‘He’s overconfident for a young jumper but he’ll come right. The more [jumps] racing he does, the better he’ll be.’’

Drumgold is trained at Winton by Leda Beck, who scratched Gargamel in the open hurdles.

‘‘He pulled a muscle in his groin two days ago and is stepping short,’’ Beck said.

Yesterday’s race day ended the Riverton Racing Club’s two-day Easter meeting.

Club officials were delighted with betting turnovers on Saturday, with punters wagering $1,140,000 (off course) and $194,000 (on course).

Crowd attendance figures for both days were 3250 (Saturday) and 1000 (yesterday).

The club’s remaining two meetings for the season are on May 4 and 21. Feature races are the Great Western Steeplechase and Hurdles on May 21.