Patience pays off for Sullington trainer

The Sullington trainer had been enjoying a good season until the weather caused meetings to be abandoned.

It was a case of patience paying off with Funny Fellow. A seven-year-old by Defacto, he has had 16 starts in his career, with 10 of those over hurdles.

Owned by Tim Clowes, he has clearly found his forte over larger obstacles and benefited from a step up in trip at the Sussex track, and also seemed to enjoy leading from the front.

Although he made a bad mistake at the 10th, his jumping was generally sound and it was to his credit that he recovered well from the blunder and did not let it deter him.

He already had two places under his belt over these larger obstacles and chasing is his game. He ought to win again, though connections say he would not like fast ground.