Thursday 26 February 2015 18:13, UK
A review of Thursday's action at Ludlow where Oliver Sherwood landed the Forbra Gold Cup with Global Power.
Oliver Sherwood may have bigger fish to fry in two weeks when Many Clouds runs in the Cheltenham Gold Cup but he received a timely boost when Global Power ran away with the Forbra Gold Cup at Ludlow.
Despite Many Clouds' exploits in winning the Hennessy and a key Gold Cup trial this season, Sherwood had saddled only five winners in 2015, so it will have been a relief for him that he was in double form at the track where his brother, Gold Cup-winning jockey Simon, is now clerk of the course.
Global Power missed the cut in the Welsh National by one in December and a few weeks later was forced to miss a run at Warwick due to a small foot problem, so deserved a change of fortune.
Leighton Aspell always had him prominent and the 13/2 chance won by four lengths.
The Midlands National is likely to be next for the winner.
Half an hour earlier Blameitalonmyroots (5/1) battled back gamely under Aspell to win the Follow @corbettsports On Twitter Mares' Handicap Hurdle.
She looked to have the race won before Tony McCoy pounced after the last on A Shade Of Bay, but Sherwood's mare battled back to win by a length and a quarter.
"She's a tough girl and is still improving," said Sherwood.
"She's still very green. I was mortified after her first run and can't believe she was able to win a point-to-point.
"They didn't go a great gallop but Leighton said he sort of had to win the race twice. He was lucky AP (McCoy) challenged quite early as that meant she had time to respond."
While Kim Bailey was out of luck with A Shade Of Bay he had earlier won with Gallery Exhibition (5/1) in the Bet On Your Mobile At corbettsports.com Novices' Limited Handicap Chase.
"I ran him back again too quickly last time and he went and had a wind op," Bailey told Racing UK.
"I had no intention of running him but I wanted to support Ludlow as they put such good money on. It was £12,500 for a novices' handicap chase, somewhere like Newbury put only half that on for a similar race.
"I think people should take note and it just shows what can be done, it makes a mockery of what other tracks do."
The Richard Phillips-trained Seaviper (8/1) won for the fourth time this season in the £10 Free Bet At corbettsports.com "National Hunt" Novices' Handicap Hurdle under a clever ride from Daniel Hiskett.
"Once Rascal was taken out there was no obvious front-runner so I had a chat with Richard and he said he'd won from the front before in a bumper," said Hiskett.
"He jumped brilliantly. I wanted to save enough for the home straight as that is where the race is won and lost, I wanted to ping the three in the straight and he really did.
"That's my 18th winner now and I've been with Richard Phillips for two seasons, he gives me plenty of rides so it's going well."
An eventful Magnus-Allcroft Memorial Trophy Hunters' Chase went the way of Bermuda Boy.
The 28/1 shot was running in the race for the fourth time but he looked booked for third until Invisible Man pulled up when seemingly still going well and Out Now pulled himself up with 50 yards to run.
Bermuda Boy came from nearly a fence behind to pass the idling Out Now and hold off Moscow Chancer.
Trainer Steve Flook said: "I thought we were going to be third but it's better to be born lucky than rich!"
McCoy steered the Philip Hobbs-trained 15/8 favourite Scoop The Pot to win the Bet Live At corbettsports.com Novices' Hurdle, while 6/1 shot Norse Light landed the concluding Bet At corbettsports.com Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle for trainer David Dennis and jockey Shane Quinlan.
