Fontwell success is long overdue for Grand National winner Liam

The Arundel jockey, best-known for his 2009 Grand National success on Mon Mome, hadn’t won at Fontwell since the Southern National meeting a year ago, when he partnered Casual Garcia to success in the maiden hurdle.

On Sunday, odds-on favourite Tullamore Dew notched a bloodless victory for Treadwell in the beginners’ chase, made all the easier by the defection of Alan King’s Balzaccio.

Treadwell later celebrated the success with a thrilling victory on 7/2-favourite Warne’s Way in the Tikram Hurdle.

The long-time leader was passed by Ned Ludd at the final flight before battling on brilliantly to get up and win by a neck.

Treadwell’s double was one of the highlights of a day when Peut Etre Sivola retained his Southern National title with a fine performance in the gruelling 
three-mile, four-furlong contest.

Treadwell, who is Nick Gifford’s stable jockey, said: “It was a smashing day for me.

“The win on Warne’s Way was brilliant. It’s nice when you are on a favourite because you get that roar of the crowd. It gives you that extra lift coming up the hill here.

“It’s always brilliant to win at Fontwell but I haven’t had a winner here for a while so these two are extra special.”

Johnny Farrelly guided Peut Etre Sivola to victory in the Southern National. Twelve months on from his last career win, the seven-year-old held off Kawagino to snatch the totesport-sponsored feature race in the West Sussex mud.

The 3/1 favourite, who is partially sighted, jumped brilliantly and stayed on well after hitting the front three fences from home.

Farrelly said Fontwell was a home-from-home for the David Pipe-trained chaser. Farrelly said: “He’s slow as a boat but he jumped brilliantly and if I ever wanted a hunter it would be him.

“He is partially blind in one eye but he jumps brilliantly. And that’s what it was all about – jumping and staying.

“He loves it here. He just loves the twists and turns at Fontwell and it seems to bring out the best in him.”

Treadwell wasn’t only the Sussex success story at the track on Sunday. Thirteen-year-old veteran Kappelhoff chalked up a fifth Fontwell success for Funtington trainer Lydia Richards.

One downer to the day was the weather, which Fontwell general manager Phil Bell reckoned cost them up to 1,000 punters.

“We had a fair crowd of more than 2,500 considering the conditions, but the day’s weather was a nightmare for us.”

Bell had criticised trainers for not supporting the Southern National despite the decent prize pot. As it turned out, ten runners from the entry of 15 wasn’t too bad – but Bell was upset there weren’t more higher-rated horses. “The race is for horses rated up to 135. We’d like to have seen perhaps three or four runners in the 120s.”

Fontwell’s next meeting is on Tuesday, December 7.