Big-race joy for Williams
EVAN Williams was handed a pre-Christmas boost when he landed the big race at Ffos Las on Monday.
The Vale of Glamorgan trainer has a fine record at the course — he landed the Welsh Champion Hurdle with Silver Streak in October — and made his presence felt again when The Gipper took the Jim Hibbs Christmas Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Adam Wedge.
The 11-10 favourite was rarely troubled in the two-mile contest and he sauntered to an eightlength victory over stablemate Radical Archie to capture the first prize of £10,656.
The closest finish of the day came in the MansionBet Chase, which Mixchievous took by a nose.
Venetia Williams’s sevenyear-old looked to be beaten when he blundered and lost ground at the last fence, but he battled gamely on the run-in to deny 9-4 favourite Cougar’s Gold by the narrowest of margins.