English/Ire
Made U Blush bags Scottish Triumph Hurdle honours
Dan Skelton enjoyed his customary Saturday winner when Made U Blush picked up well late on to land the opening bet365 Scottish Triumph Hurdle at Musselburgh.
A winner on the flat, the daughter of Masar was stepping up in class having gotten off the mark over hurdles second time out at Doncaster last month.
Sent off an 11/2 chance in the hands of in-form Tristan Durrell, who was having his first ride at the Scottish venue, she picked up well over the last to peg back the front-running Lord by two and a quarter lengths.
Winning owner Jimmy Fyffe, who also owned the Gavin Cromwell-trained Secret Force back in fourth, told Racing TV: "I was hopeful of Made U Blush, obviously being a mare in a Listed race, I was hoping she would be in the first three.
"Gavin's (Cromwell) horse was coming back from a poor run at Cheltenham, so we were taking our time with him and we're aiming him at a race at Cheltenham. He's not run a bad race, and he was strong at the end, he'll come on for that as well.
"Made U Blush has run a cracker. Dan had said that it was going to be a faster race and she was going to have to jump faster but she jumped brilliant, so I'm hoping that Dan decides we'll to Cheltenham now.
"It's definitely opened the door for her."
Later on the card Ewan Whillans and Sean Quinlan teamed up to land the bet365 Scottish County Handicap Hurdle with Star Of Guiting.
There was early drama when the well-backed Welsh Drama planted himself at the start and sent Ciaran Gethings into the turf, but that never effected Star Of Guiting, who stayed on well up the run-in to deny Paul Nicholls' Afadil by three parts of a length.
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