BYTON trainer Kerry Lee struck for a local success at Hereford races on Monday when she saddled Town Parks to win the Westons Cider Limited Handicap Chase in the hands of jockey Jamie Moore.

Always close up in the five runner field, Town Parks moved closer down the final back straight as the long-time leader Becauseshesaidso blundered and pulled up.

The race therefore lay between Town Parks and Silverhow over the final two fences, but the Lee trained runner stayed on strongly and drew clear to win by a convincing four and a half lengths.

Goodtoknow, also trained by Lee, and the Venetia Williams trained Houblon des Obleaux were well fancied to perform well in the feature race on the card the three mile, one furlong Darren Linn Memorial Handicap Chase in which the progressive Another Venture was sent off 15/8 favourite.

Despite indifferent jumping early on, the favourite made progress on the final circuit, where Goodtoknow dropped out of the reckoning.

It was left to Another Venture, Regal Flow and Houblon des Obleaux to battle for the £14,000 first prize.

Jockey Mikey Hamill conjured some fine jumps from Another Venture over the final two fences and the favourite returned to plaudits for the jockey for his persistence and a length and a half winners from Regal Flow with veteran Houblon des Obleaux keeping on for third place.

Champion jockey Richard Johnson was also in the winners enclosure during the afternoon as he teamed up with his long-time retained stable of trainer Phillip Hobbs in the Bumper race with the five-year-old Arthur Mac.

Leading three furlongs from home over the two mile trip, Arthur Mac responded gamely for Johnson’s urgings and despite a persistent challenge from the well-backed favourite West to the Bridge over the final two furlongs, Johnson's horse stayed on strongly, although their cause was helped by rider on the runner-up Harry Skelton losing his iron in the home straight.

The win was a timely return to form for the Hobbs yard which has been uncharacteristically out of its normal winning form over recent weeks and hopefully will aid Johnson in his quest for winners in the run-up to the Cheltenham Festival and the retaining of the jockeys championship.