First Drift caps a great week for Case

Edgcote trainer Ben Case saddled three winners in a week

First Drift notched a 25/1 stunner at Hereford on Saturday to give Edgcote trainer Ben Case his third winner in a week and a welcome Christmas tonic.

Supremely consistent in his career to date, the seven-year-old gelding by Generous had nevertheless caused head scratching on his previous outing when pulling up on his chase debut 23 days earlier at Market Rasen.

However, since Drovers Lane, the winner of that contest, won again at Cheltenham on Saturday, the form was probably decent.

First Drift has now won five of his ten starts for the Wardington Gate Farm handler who said: “He has won on good to firm so I was glad he was able to handle soft, heavy ground as well. He has been a great horse to train.”

First Drift was continuing the sound work begun by Coded Message at Lingfield and then Ratfacemcdougall in a 3m novices’ hurdle at Doncaster on Friday, in which he turned over odds-on favourite Nadaitak, trained by Ben Pauling.

Coded Message, out of the decent winning Case mare Ring Back, will be given a ‘cheeky’ entry at Haydock on Saturday.

Case said: “It is not definite we will run there. I’m not sure about the strength of the Lingfield race but we will see if the Haydock race cuts up and it would be nice to get some black type.”