Luck was certainly on our side at Sandown on Friday as Starving Marvin found his way back into the winners enclosure after the dramatic swerve of What’s The Scoop up the famous hill. Although there were only four runners, it was a competitive event and we went there more in hope than expectation and any confidence we had was dimmed when we saw that the Henderson horse was even bigger than Marvin in the pre parade ring.
However, we got an early boost at the first as the favourite Air Horse One swerved and deposited Noel Fehily after the hurdle. Starving jumped extremely well out in front but was chased plenty early enough entering the home bend by Bad Boy Du Pouldu, a winner in France last time out. While he soon saw that rival off, he had nothing more to give when Barry Geraghty and What’s The Scoop swept past on the run to the last and was booked for a solid second place before the leader decided to take a different route on the run in.
While we were a fortunate winner, after all the setbacks we have had since his bumper win at Warwick in January 2012, we all deserved a change in luck with Starving Marvin and it was great to get him back in the winners enclosure, certainly rewarded his owners patience. He perhaps was not 100% as he got tired very quickly up the hill, although the very sticky ground certainly exasperated it, so he will not be rushed back onto the track and it might be his final run of the season. Whatever happens, the aim is to go novice chasing in the autumn and he certainly has the size and scope to go on to better things in that sphere.
The steady pace did not really help Icebuster as he got going all too late to finish fourth on the all-weather at Chelmsford but it was another consistent effort from the eight-year-old gelding.