Work needed for Ballyalton

Trainer Ian Williams has revealed Ballyalton will require some gentle work after the recent outing at Warwick.

The eight-year-old made his long-awaited return to competitive action since finishing second to Faugheen in the 2014 Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle, but events did not go as planned.

John Westwood’s-owned charge struggled when the pace quickened but managed to make some ground in the closing stages and was chasing down the leading pack.

However, jockey Will Kennedy was unseated three fences from the finish and Williams admits Ballyalton will need a little tutoring after the incident.

“We were happy with him up until he unseated and there’s no harm done” he said. “We’ll do a bit of schooling with him to make sure it hasn’t dented his confidence too much and if that goes well, we’ll look to get him out again as soon as possible.”

Willow’s Saviour ended up winning the race by a neck from Aso while the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Ballybolley was in third place.