Bristol De Mai winning the clash of the staying chasers with a four-length win in the Betfair Chase at Haydock over Native River, with Thistlecrack in third
Haydock, where attracting racegoers has sometimes proved hard work, drawing a crowd of 11,300, a record for the Betfair Chase fixture since it was introduced 13 years ago
Politologue clinching the Christy 1965 Chase at Ascot by half-a-length over Charbel in a race marking the anniversary of the start of jumping at the Berkshire track, and reserving a place in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day – trainer Nigel Twiston Davies also took the day’s richest race when Caid Du Lin took the £125,000 Hurst Park Handicap Chase, where Ascot’s jumps track turf came from
Jessica Harrington landing a treble ad Navan including Barrington Court in the bumper, a contest that has produced some serious prospects in the past
Noel Fehily riding treble at Ascot, where charting a wider route to find better ground paid dividends
BHA starting to drug test the first four home in all Group Flat and Grade 1 jump races as part of the stepping-up of the battle against doping, which also sees the addition of testing for new substances next year including cobalt
Actor and commentator Malcolm Tomlinson returning to race-calling at Sedgefield after a five-week absence whilst he was treated for a detached retina – Tomlinson can be seen in the upcoming new BBC series of Peaky Blinders
Trainer Archie Watson becoming only the fourth Lambourn-based trainer to send out 100 winners in a campaign – 29-year-old Watson is in his second year as a trainer
The Middleham Park syndicate, formed in1995, reaching 1,000 winners when El Kaldoun won the bumper at Lingfield
STEWARDS ROOM
… and what hasn’t been so good
Kemboy missing the Ladbroke Trophy at Newbury because the ferry bringing him to Britain was cancelled
Haydock’s fences coming in for criticism after six horses fell and one unseated its rider at the Betfair Chase meeting – the course had already been told by BHA to make changes to the obstacles which were decreed too high and too stiff, a view that was still held after changes were made and further alterations are required to the portable fences before they are to be used again on 5 December
Only 14 runners being declared for the Ladbroke Trophy (Hennessy that was), the smallest field for the Newbury race for 4 years
France Galop announcing the closure of Maison-Lafitte racecourse at the end of 2019
The BHA failing to give the Irish trained Earl Of Bunnscurry the correct penalty (9lb in instead of 6lb) forcing Gavin Cromwell’s charge to be withdrawn from a race at Wolverhampton for which it was favourite to score a quick-fire treble
Leicester having to cancel its chase races on Sunday and holding an all-hurdle fixture due to hard ground
