at Newton Abbot

The mud was flying yesterday at rain-soaked Newton Abbot where the going changed from soft to heavy at the track's last meeting of the season.

Those who braved the downpours were treated to a parade by the South West Racing Club's Horse of the Year Big Bucks who is being aimed at a third Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in the spring.

The outstanding Sam Twiston-Davies, the course's leading jockey, once again illustrated his potential as a top jockey in the making with a stylish win aboard Moulin De La Croix in the two miles five furlongs handicap chase. The eight-year-old jumped the last well and won by a comfortable two and three quarter lengths.

His father Nigel Twiston-Davies had been hopeful of saddling a double but had earlier seen Caheerloch beaten in the long-distance handicap hurdle. The Pat Rodford-trained Cashel Blue, ridden by Keiran Burke, made virtually all the running to win the race easily on his second start for the Somerset-based trainer.

Felix De Giels is another stylish jockey and he did his credentials no harm when riding a perfectly-timed race on Kijivu to win the two miles one furlong handicap hurdle. Alistair Lidderdale was the winning trainer.

Rudanphast, under Richard Johnson, was the 15-8 favourite to land the opening novices' hurdle on his first effort over jumps, and despite taking the obstacles carefully, he won very comfortably and went into plenty of notebooks as a horse for the future given that the ground was more akin to winter jumping than the summer game.

Chestnut Ben was the 20-1 winner of the novices' handicap hurdle, and although tired, he pulled out all the stops to keep galloping and hold on for the David Bass Gary Brown team.

January appeared to have the extended two-mile handicap chase in the bag with Tony McCoy sitting comfortably on the Liam Cocoran-trained seven-year-old turning into the back straight.

In the lead over the last, his backers were counting their money until In The Zone got up in the dying strides to win by a narrow margin.

The winner was ridden by Richie McLernon for Jonjo O'Neill, McCoy's retained trainer.

Am I Blue and You Can of Course were neck and neck and lengths ahead of the rest of the field in the concluding novices' handicap hurdle. Turning into the home straight it was the former who was kicked clear to record the easiest of wins to give Richard Johnson his double and provide favourite backers the perfect conclusion to the summer season at Newton Abbot.