Irish sweep with Lotto win

Linden's Lotto led home an Irish clean sweep in the Sporting Index Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham, but it was home challenger McGregor The Third whose brave fifth earned the plaudits, after the 12-year-old's jockey, Tony Dobbin, took a wrong turn at a crucial point of the £25,000-added race.

Dobbin, riding the complex, purpose-built course for the first time, had made the running on the Nicky Richards-trained gelding until after the third fence from home.

That was when, instead of a sharp tug with the left hand, Dobbin allowed his partner, the 11 to 4 favourite for a third victory in this race, to go straight on. The Ulsterman realised his mistake only when the leading group had gone past.

And although McGregor The Third rallied stoutly, he could do nothing about the Tony Martin-trained Linden's Lotto, who, having been left in front, stayed on to defeat Fiftysevenchannels, last year's winner, by five lengths, with top-weight Lucky Town beaten a further half a length in third.

The stewards banned Dobbin for seven days (November 23rd-30th) for taking the wrong course, and afterwards the jockey had no complaints.

"I have got no excuses, but I would say that having no cones in the gap on the course was no help to me. I feel sick about it and I don't want it to happen again."

Linden's Lotto was also trained by Gordon Richards last season, before being bought with this race in mind by Martin for his owner, Mick Bailey.

The regulation course used for the Steel Plate And Sections Novices' Chase would seem less demanding than the Sporting Index track, but that is evidently not how its five contestants saw things.

The fence repairers will be on overtime after one obstacle after another took a buffeting.

David Nicholson's Spendid was no exception, clouting the 12th fence and the third from home, but he stayed on his feet and led approaching the last for Adrian Maguire to beat Moscow Express by two lengths.

Tony McCoy's hearing in front of the Disciplinary Committee of the Jockey Club will take place next Monday afternoon.

They will establish whether McCoy committed a breach of Rule 153 (iii) concerning his use of the whip aboard Bamapour, the winner of the Ford Claiming Hurdle at Fontwell Park on Monday afternoon.

The racecourse stewards referred the matter to Portman Square under the totting-up procedure, McCoy having already accumulated 15 days of suspension for whip offences in the past year.

Last year's winner Suny Bay heads the list of 16 entries for next Wednesday's Edward Hanmer Memorial Steeple Chase at Haydock Park.

But the Simon Sherwoodtrained grey could face a difficult challenge in recapturing the race, as his rivals look as if they will provide some hefty opposition.

Among the live Cheltenham Gold Cup contenders set to line up are Nicky Richards' The Grey Monk, Paul Nicholls' See More Business and Strath Royal.