One Track Mind beaten at Catterick Warren Greatrex's plan to send One Track Mind north for a confidence-booster went awry as the Punchestown Festival winner could finish only third to Delusionofgrandeur in the Come Racing New Year's Day Beginners' Chase at Catterick, Successful in the Champion Stayers Hurdle back in the spring, One Track Mind made his chasing debut in a Grade Two event at Newbury, where he endured a nightmare experience after hitting the first fence. While he travelled well enough for the first circuit on this occasion under Gavin Sheehan, his jumping came under pressure as the two Sue Smith-trained horses Delusionofgrandeur (17-2) and Vintage Clouds pressed on. It was the former who forged clear for Sean Quinlan in the straight as Vintage Clouds hit a couple of fences and was eventually beaten six lengths, with a further four and a half back to One Track Mind. "They are two nice horses, but they need time," said Harvey Smith. "They'll both be kept to novice races, we won't aim high, they've got to get miles into their legs over fences. "Look at One Track Mind, he was a Grade One winner over hurdles but it's very rare a horse can go from hurdles to fences in one leap and reach the same level, you need freaks like Coneygree and Thistlecrack to do that. "It came down to jumping in the straight and one jumped better than the other."
