The dank and grey weather of this mid-December has one saving grace, insofar as it provides nigh perfect ground conditions for running National Hunt horses, and Ludlow’s pre-Christmas jamboree, appropriately sponsored by Tanners Wine Merchants, attracted 69 runners on good to soft ground as a result.

Leading honours were shared between the Twiston-Davies and Pauling stables with a brace of winners apiece, ensuring the Black Horse in Naunton received a fillip to its pre-Christmas trading yesterday evening.

It’s been a good autumn for Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies, banging in 15 winners in October, 10 the following month, and six to date this month with the busy holiday period ahead to savour. But the bubbly was already flowing at Ludlow in the Tanners Cava National Hunt Novices Hurdle opening the card. Une Sens de la Vie, a winner at Market Rasen back in October, had flattered to deceive a couple of times since, but made all in good style to land the odds as a jolly should, posting a comfortable 4 3/4l lead over Bras d’Or under the stable jockey despite a muddling pace well below standard. The winner is headed for greater things at Newbury.

Eight year old Ballycamus made it two for the stable in the Tanners Claret Handicap Chase later in the card, notching up a 5th scalp over fences for the son of Presenting. It was a close-run thing however, Sam Twiston-Davies only picking up the leader at the last, and just two lengths separated the first three – a heart-warming contest that deserved a glass of the sponsor’s finest.

Ben Pauling is another boasting great stats for November and December, reflected here in a 40/1 double through Betty’s Daisy in the Mares Novices’ hurdle and neck winner Followcato in the 2m 4f G K Rickards Handicap Chase, both ridden by Kielan Woods.

Barely halfway through the core season, Pauling’s investment in facilities at his base in Naunton is paying dividends. Followcato was his 49th winner of the term, and a successful Christmas will see him nudging the £1m prize money mark, especially with a good run from stable star The Jukebox Man.

Five year old Betty’s Daisy is only four races into what may be a lengthy career, and she showed herself a quick learner from her debut over hurdles at Warwick a month ago. That jumping still needs to improve, but she has the speed to have beaten the second, Diamonds Galore 4 1/2l.

Woods had to work harder on Followcato, who made virtually all, and got the best of a bumping match after the last with second-placed Pepe Le Mokoto win by a neck.

Trainer of Diamonds Galore Nicky Henderson didn’t go home empty-handed however. His juvenile Stroke Play  made a winning debut under James Bowen by 10l in the Alpha Aggregates EBF Fillies Junior Hurdle.

Tom George has taken a back seat in the cross-Channel enterprise fronted by son Noel with Amanda Zetterholm, and the latter pair are major players at Auteuil and the northern Jumps tracks in France. “Trained Slad, Gloucestershire” is always a mark of quality however, and among those horses focused on the British market, Tom George retains some high profile owners, including J P McManus, owner of Milan Tino, a young chaser who kept on well to beat the older Lime Drop in the Tanners Champagne Handicap Chase over the minimum trip. Jonathan Burke has made himself an integral part of several Gloucestershire stables, and picked up this 1 1/4l winning ride.

It was Tanners Prosecco for the winner of the concluding Lorna Brooke Memorial Cup, a handicap hurdle for women amateur riders, of which talent abounds. Masked Dance made good on a short head defeat at Aintree back in May, when kept up to her work by Amber Jackson-Fennell to score by 2 1/4l for Mel Rowley, a 7th winner of the season for the Bridgnorth handler.