Racing: Breedsbreeze carried the colours of the great Best Mate to Grade One victory in the Anglo Irish Bank Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown.
The well-backed 6-4 favourite took it up with two flights remaining under Ruby Walsh to earn trainer Paul Nicholls a third consecutive victory in the race.
Deep Purple stayed on gallantly for second, while the
well-regarded Calgary Bay was third.
Owned by Jim Lewis, whose Best Mate finished second behind
Monsignor in the Tolworth eight years ago, Breedsbreeze relished
the testing conditions to score by a length and three-quarters.
His cause was probably helped by the ferocious pace set by the game Alsadaa and Evan Williams' Deep Purple.
While the former eventually found the ground too daunting on the run-in, Deep Purple maintained an admirable gallop under Paul Moloney.
However, he was no match for the classy winner, who tracked the pacesetters before skating into the lead after the penultimate obstacle.
The outcome was never in doubt from that juncture as Nicholls' six-year-old was driven out for a noteworthy verdict.
