Moon Racer and Tom Scudamore win the bumper© Photo Healy Racing
Moon Racer took the Weatherbys Champion Bumper in impressive fashion for David Pipe and Tom Scudamore as English trained horses dominated the finish.
The well-backed 9/2 favourite was sold out of Michael Ronayne's yard for 225,000 after winning a sales race at Fairyhouse last Easter, and also won for present connections over the course and distance in October.
It was not plain sailing, though, as he found himself shuffled back in the pack early on after a standing start.
Scudamore had to niggle his mount to close on the leaders at various stages of the Grade 1, but he came home well from the final bend and passed the post a length and a half to the good under his jubilant rider. Modus eighth in last year's Champion Bumper and not seen since running at Aintree last spring, ran a fantastic race to fill the runner-up spot, with Wait For Me third.
Pipe said: "Everything went wrong because he got left at the start, and that was not according to the plan.
"Tom had to take the brave's man route - up the inside - and hope that the gaps appeared. Luckily they did, and he quickened up the hill well.
"Half-way up the run-in, I thought he was there.
"Hopefully this fellow's got a bright future and it's great for his owners, Caroline Tisdall and Bryan Drew, who are great supporters of mine.
"It's a relief to get a winner on the board. We'll enjoy this and see where we go, but we'll start him over two miles over hurdles next year."
