Evans star warms up in perfect style

DAVID Evans’s stable star Rohaan warmed up for the Champions Day Sprint by winning Saturday’s Group 3 Bengough Stakes over six furlongs at Ascot.

It is his happy hunting ground. Rohaan has won four of his five starts there.

The good to soft ground was ideal for him and the 13-strong field was large enough for him to employ his preferred tactics, weaving his way from the rear through the pack after the halfway point.

A small gap conveniently opened up that enabled him to hit the front a furlong out and he enjoyed a comfortable success.

Rohaan is second favourite at 5-1 for his next run at Ascot.

Also on the Ascot card, David Probert landed a Listed race on the Godolphin filly Soft Whisper. Probert’s record is 6-20 for the two main Godolphin trainers in the last five years.

At Fontwell, James Bowen had a fairly easy task steering Zacony Rebel to victory in a four-runner chase. After a quiet summer he has had four winners in 10 days for four different trainers. He will have bigger fish to fry in the coming months for the Nicky Henderson stable.

The previous day at the Sussex track, Blaze A Trail won his fourth handicap in a row for John Flint and a syndicate of mainly Welsh-based owners, including Phil Bell, the executive director at Chepstow and Ffos Las. That was unimaginable a year ago, when the horse was breaking blood vessels.

While many eyes were focusing on Longchamp on Sunday, the Welsh were having a rewarding day at Uttoxeter. Good Impression, one of Dai Burchell’s last winners, won the two-mile handicap hurdle for his new handler Bernard Llewellyn. Ben Jones brought him with a well-timed run to lead after the final obstacle.

An hour later Rebecca Curtis and James Bowen combined to win the three-mile chase with Easkey Lad. Curtis completed a quick double when Geordie Des Champs took the long-distance hurdle, this time with Sean Bowen in the saddle.

The Big Welsh Racing Weekend is fast approaching. Two days of high-class action at Chepstow on Friday and Saturday are followed by the DragonBet Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las on Sunday.

Chepstow’s Unibet Jump Season Opener is becoming more and more established as the beginning of the National Hunt season proper.

Paul Nicholls, Philip Hobbs and Evan Williams are likely to be well represented.