Top 40 winners 15/2 & 11/4

Windsor staged day one of the Winter Millions Festival on Friday and it proved an excellent afternoon for followers of the Top 40 Prospects with Gidleigh Park (15/2) and Secret Squirrel (11/4) both scoring impressively. 

The former successfully dropped back to two miles winning the Grade 2 Lightning Novices' Chase making all and producing a fine round of jumping in the process. Absent since pulling up on his chasing bow at Kempton in November, the Walk In The Park gelding was found to be suffering with a fibrillating heart afterwards. Harry Fry and his team have done a splendid job with him and he showed his true worth at the Thames side track winning by four lengths.  Granted luck, he is an exciting chasing prospect. 

As discussed in the Christmas Special, Secret Squirrel was given a kamikaze ride in the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle before Christmas. Nico De Boinville took over in the saddle for the first time in the valuable Sovereign Handicap Hurdle and the flashy chestnut gelding ran out a ready scorer by two lengths. Ridden with more restraint on the outside, the Stimulation gelding made smooth headway before the second last. Produced to lead on the run-in, Hughie Morrison's gelding looks a well treated youngster and is expected to contest the William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Newbury (8th February), for which he incurs a five pounds penalty. 

Declan Phelan's Irish Pointers section was also amongst the winners earlier in the day with Derryhassen Paddy (2/1) extending his unbeaten record to four in the staying novice hurdle. A big imposing gelding by Arctic Cosmos, he narrowly edged out the mare Honky Tonk Highway to prevail by a nose. Very much at home on testing ground, he is a stout stayer and ought to make a cracking chaser next winter. He's still got unfinished business over hurdles in the meantime though.