Good start for favourite backers at Hexham It's tough going at Hexham any day but particularly on this afternoon's heavy surface and there was an Irish connection with the first couple of winners. Bold Sir Brian landed the first under Peter Buchanan and he is a son of John Kiely's 1998 Galway Hurdle heroine Black Queen. He is by the Beeches Stud's Brian Boru. Lucinda Russell trains Bold Sir Brian and he was getting off the mark here at the third attempt over fences. Race two meanwhile saw a well-punted winner. Soudain won the confined at Horse And Jockey back in March when under the care of 'Shark' Hanlon. Today in the hands of Keith Mercer, Soudain (a son of Grand Crus, Al Ferof and Neptune Collonges' sire, Dom Alco) made a lot it and galloped on resolutely to easily win the three mile Wallbottle Campus Maiden Hurdle. He could even afford the luxury of making a mistake at the last. Soudain was bought by present connections for £54,000 at Cheltenham in April. (EM)
