RICHARD Johnson fresh from his recent success in the blue riband Cheltenham Gold Cup was back in action at his local track on Tuesday and he scored another success aboard the all the way winner Westend Story.

Jumping to the lead from the outset the pair were never threatened and they drew clear from their seven rivals to win easing up by a facile eleven lengths as the 5/4 favourites.

Johnson was well fancied to follow up later on the card aboard the favourite Jimmy Bell, in the first division of the two mile three furlong handicap hurdle but despite holding every chance approaching the final hurdle the honours went to the Venetia Williams trained Pink Tara.

The Kings Caple stabled Pink Tara led at the second last hurdle but wandered approaching the last giving his rivals a second chance but jockey Charlie Deutsch held his mount together well and they repelled Johnsons challenge by a length and three quarters.

Another local winner on the card was Hoarwithy trainer Tom Symonds who says his Royal Claret overcame trouble in running to record a battling victory in the extended three mile Mares Handicap hurdle.

A fall in the back straight by the well fancied Dahills Wood seemed to have ruined his chances but jockey Ben Poste galvanised his mount back into the race and with a determined challenge from the final hurdle they were able to take the honours by a head from runner-up Sahara Haze.

A delighted Symonds said: “She deserved that. She’s bred to stay as she’s by Yeats and the owners deserve that they’ve been very patient”.
Jockey Sam Twiston-Davies reached 100 winners for the season when Broughtons Admiral struck in the opening two-mile maiden race.
Previously finishing creditably behind the well thought of Apples Shakira at Cheltenham earlier in the season Broughtons Admiral stayed on well under Twiston-Davies to record a comfortable nine-length defeat of runner-up Romanor.

Richard Johnson was again well fancied to take the meetings concluding race the second division of the two mile three furlong handicap hurdle aboard the John O’Shea trained Outrageous Romana but she faded over the final three hurdles and it was Sackett and Harry Teal who denied the Kerry Lee trained Scales by three and a quarter lengths.

Despite being out of luck in the final race Johnson was awarded the Verzon House award by the Racecourse as the season’s leading jockey.
Elsewhere Herefordshire’s top Flat racehorse trainer Ed de Giles got his season underway.

De Giles trained Bombero came second at 16-1 at Doncaster on day one of the new flat season and he has some big plans for the coming weeks.

De Giles obtained his dual-purpose license to train Flat and National Hunt racehorses in December 2010.