Sonning Star, owned by TV chat-show host Jeremy Kyle, won the feature race, the totepool Fakenham Silver Cup Handicap Hurdle, as Fakenham Racecourse staged its Festival of National Hunt Racing on Friday.
Sonning Star, owned by TV chat-show host Jeremy Kyle, won the feature race, the totepool Fakenham Silver Cup Handicap Hurdle, as Fakenham Racecourse staged its Festival of National Hunt Racing on Friday.
The Nick Gifford-trained gelding led from the off in the two-mile contest and despite close attention from Benedict Spirit, who finished in second, and Bedizen, who came in third, around the home turn, Sonning Star had more juice left in the tank to forge away on the run-in to win by three quarters of a length under a super ride from young Jay Pemberton, riding his first Fakenham winner.
Pemberton said: “He has done it well and we were hoping the blinkers would work today.
“He had good form as a juvenile, but has had problems since - so we are so pleased for everyone, because he is a capable horse.”
Next meeting at Fakenham is on Easter Monday, April 5.
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