Saturday’s horse racing fixture at Sandown Park passed an 8am inspection, but Newcastle and Wincanton were abandoned. Southwell is the only card on Sunday after Naas, Chepstow and Plumpton were lost
Nocte Volatus winged in to land a gamble in the £100,000 Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase Final at Sandown Park.
A victory at Warwick in November saw the Tom Lacey-trained 11-year-old put up to a career-high handicap mark of 135. But those who braved the freeze in Esher – the fixture had to pass an 8am inspection – weren’t put off, backing Nocte Volatus into 11-4 favourite from a price of 11-2 on Saturday morning.
And Stan Sheppard’s mount justified the support with a length-and-a-quarter defeat of trainers’ championship leader Dan Skelton’s Le Milos, with Gabbys Cross flying home from the back for third.
Lacey, winning the old hands’ prize for the first time, said: “It’s brilliant to win a nice pot like that with an improving 11-year-old – I can’t put into words the importance of winning on days like today.
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“It happens quite a lot for Dan and others but it’s nice to show that, given the ammunition, a smaller yard can compete on the big stage.
“That’s a career-high mark aged 11, and I’m sure the handicapper will give him a few more pounds. This was obviously the target and we have to have a look now and see what we do.”
Sheppard added: “He’s fairly on the edge with his jumping – he’s got his own way of doing it – so you just have to hold on tight!”
While Sandown Park survived, racing chiefs at Newcastle and Wincanton were not so lucky as their fixtures did not beat the cold snap. At the latter venue, the track was checked at 8am, 10.15am and 11.30am, but the overnight frost had caught small areas of worn ground.
Southwell, a late addition to the calendar by the BHA, is the only remaining card on Sunday after Naas, Chepstow and Plumpton were all called off in advance.
A spokesperson for the National Association of Racing Staff said the newly created card could place extra demands on stable staff who would have been caring for thoroughbreds over the festive period.
“It is acknowledged that adding a Flat fixture into the programme may inconvenience some participants, but based upon the information available at this time, the risk of a blank day is sufficient enough to add this fixture,” the British Horseracing Authority stated when announcing the meeting.
Inspections have been called for Monday’s scheduled cards at Lingfield and Ludlow, while Tuesday’s programme at Musselburgh has been scrapped.
