Top three pick up points in battle to be Jockeys’ Cup champion 

Nico De Boinville went some way to putting a disappointing Cheltenham Festival behind him when picking up 18 David Power Jockeys’ Cup on Saturday, but his total was matched by Jockeys’ Cup leader Harry Skelton and surpassed by two points by second-placed Harry Cobden who were both in action at Uttoxeter. 

The Seven Barrows jockey would have expected more success at Prestbury Park, with Constitution Hill and Jonbon two notable losses, but he picked up valuable points on Saturday thanks mainly to a win for Aston Martini in the Kempton handicap hurdle shown on ITV. 

Other notable winners at the Sunbury-on-Thames venue included Ben Jones, who took the two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase on the rejuvenated Bad and also picked up 18 points in total. He is now level with Charlie Deutsch on 152 points.

Over at Uttoxeter, the feature JenningsBet Midlands Grand National went the way of the Jack Tudor-ridden Mr Vango, a horse that De Boinville had ridden to win at Sandown earlier in the season. Tudor remains in 16th spot.

Other jockeys to enjoy their afternoon in the Midlands included Skelton, though he couldn’t match the 22-point haul of the chasing Cobden who added placed efforts on Isaac Des Obeaux and Below The Radar to the earlier win of Red Risk. 

Red Risk had looked held in second once headed by the Skelton-ridden Joyeaux Machin, but he rallied well as the leader idled and managed to get back up for a neck success.