Two Past Eight makes it two from three over jumps at Fontwell

September 10

Alan, who has already enjoyed a couple of Flat winners in September, celebrated his first winner over jumps this month when Two Past Eight justified favouritism in the juvenile hurdle at Fontwell today.

Two Past Eight, now 2-3 over hurdles, had only been mugged on the line in a two-mile handicap at a Kempton polytrack meeting last month, and, though relatively small for the winter game, he looks a useful dual-purpose performer for the Barbury Lions syndicate.

Bar one sloppy mistake at the third last, Two Past Eight never put a foot wrong, and the evens favourite, having quickly re-established his superiority, was brave over the last for Tom Cannon, who drove him clear up the run-in to win by 9.5 lengths.

Two Past Eight had looked like being a good fun horse for his owners when he won a Class 3 hurdle at Aintree in June, and with record temperatures having already been seen this month, he ought to win more races before the rains return, be it on the Flat or over jumps.

Alan is happy with the way Barbury team are running, and there was a lot to like about the way Tritonic ran in the Old Borough Cup at Haydock on Saturday.

Tritonic, who is another who has paid his way both on the Flat and over jumps, plugged on well to finish fourth in the prestigious 14-furlong handicap, and he looks just the right type for a tilt at the Cesarewitch over an extra half-mile at Newmarket next month.