Pipe hits 200 again

RACING: Martin Pipe reached 200 winners for an amazing eighth time when Nouveau Cheval took the Sprotborough Claiming Hurdle at Doncaster yesterday.

The champion trainer, the only jumps handler to make a double century, had been stuck on 199 for eight days but this landmark victory could be called a long way out.

The seven-year-old mare was always going well under a confident ride from the stable's conditional Tom Scudamore.

Young Scudamore, son of Pipe's former stable jockey Peter, looked a chip off the old block as he guided the well-backed 5 to 4 favourite to a smooth three-and-a-half-length success over Prelude To Fame to complete a hat-trick.

And there was no hiding his delight as Scudamore, who had taken the Nicholashayne handler to 199 by scoring on Jaybejay at Wincanton last Thursday week, took his own tally for the season to 25. "She's done it well. It's fantastic to be part of the team and to be associated with history. My father and Mr Pipe obviously had some great times together and it's nice to carry these things on," said Scudamore junior.

Through The Rye duly completed a 16-day hat-trick by defying top weight of 11st 12lb in the South Yorkshire Handicap Hurdle.

The six-year-old, who was unplaced in the 1999 Vodafone Derby when trained by Barry Hills, has suddenly hit a rich vein of form for Edwin Tuer.

Lord Joshua belatedly lived up to his reputation when getting off the mark over hurdles at Newbury yesterday. And the four-year-old's efforts in winning the TFM Cyntergy Juvenile Novices' Hurdle may have earned him a place in the field for next month's JCB Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.