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Hunter Chase action on Tuesday saw the prolific winning Pointer Kaproyale give Zac Baker the proverbial armchair ride to land Huntingdon’s Racing TV Novices Hunters’ Chase in effortless fashion.

Dropped in early, the grey cruised to the front at the end of the back straight, with Zac admitting “I didn’t want to get there so soon, but there’s only so much pulling you can do!”

Formerly a very moderate hurdler for Olly Murphy, Kaproyale (pictured above) is now trained by Fran Poste for The Galloping Dentist at 45 The Green Partnership, comprising Tim and Katie Sunderland, Nick and Denise Reynolds, and the trainer’s father Chris Nimmo. Fran, who was at Goffs Spring Sale, was absent, and also missing was Tim, the eponymous owner who was busy working at his dental practice.

Katie, herself a successful Point-to-Point rider in the nineties, particularly with the smart duo of Maid To Match and Sperrin View, put together the syndicate, and she rides Kaproyale nearly every day. “He’s very quirky and can be a real b….,” she laughed. “He’s very spoilt because he gets his own way most of the time. He likes leading the young horses because it makes him feel important.”

“I leave the racing decisions to Fran,” she continued, “but one place we won’t be going is Cartmel. He was entered in the Maiden Hunters’ Chase, but he’s ruled himself out of that!”

And wherever Kaproyale and his owners go next, they could be accompanied by the partnership’s new talisman. “It’s the first time I’ve persuaded my mother [Helen Mobley] to join us in the paddock,” said Katie, “so she was definitely a lucky mascot.”

Third behind Kaproyale was Desire De Joie, partnered by Alex Chadwick, who took just 30 minutes to go two places better when taking the closing handicap hurdle on the James Owen-trained Enthused. James, a former top Point-to-Point jockey and a multiple Arab racing champion trainer, took out a professional licence just a few months ago and has made a bright start to his latest venture.