Matt Sheppard's Munlochy Bay a winner at Hereford Races (From Hereford Times)

Matt Sheppard's Munlochy Bay a winner at Hereford Races

12:39pm Tuesday 3rd April 2012 in Other By Graham Saveker

EASTNOR trainer Matt Sheppard kept up his winning form with a success at Hereford races.

Sheppard was still celebrating the win of his stable star Ikorodu Road at Newbury, as highlighted in last week’s Hereford Times, but kept the champagne coming at Hereford with a win for Munlochy Bay.

Seemingly having no chance in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle at halfway in the nine-runner race, rider Charlie Poste was hard at work to keep her in contention.

Over the final three hurdles, though, Munlochy Bay stayed on dourly to get into contention and got up on the run-in to win by a hard-fought length-and-a-quarter.

Sheppard explained: “This mare won at Cheltenham two years ago and not many on this card would do that.

“However she makes life difficult for herself by dropping herself out and then staying on, but it has worked for her here.”

Cheshire trainer Donald McCain made his first visit to the track and was celebrating also with a double in the first two races with wins for Constant Contact and D J Milan.

Constant Contact scored in the opening two-mile-one-furlong novices hurdle and then DJ Milan took the Maiden hurdle over two-and-a-half miles, both partnered by stable jockey Jason Maguire.

McCain and Maguire almost made it a treble but their Jam Tomorrow crashed out at the final hurdle in the Novices handicap hurdle when just holding a slight advantage which left Mrs Peacock to battle out a head win over Drummers Drumming.

Jockey Paddy Brennan made it 75 winners for the year when he scored on Overlaw in the two-mile handicap chase and he declared himself satisfied with the total as he had set a target of 50 before the season began.