The grey December weather relented partway through the afternoon to welcome the 53 runners for our penultimate fixture before Christmas, and the watery sunshine shone a light on the growing form of Evan Williams, who is enjoying a purple patch.

November saw the Vale of Glamorgan handler send out 77 runners in total, of which marginally under half made the frame, with 8 winners. Winners at Taunton, Bangor and Carlisle allowed the stable to finish the month with a flourish, and that run of form continued with a double at Ludlow on Wednesday, including in the feature Commodore Cup, a staying chase.

A winner twice already around Ludlow, the 10 year old, owned by Wayne Clifford, whose one-time firm Bathwick Tyres put plenty back into the sport, earned a third course victory under Jonjo O’Neill jnr, made easier after favourite Tiny Tetley pulled up after bad blunders at the fourth and second last fences. The 16l covering the first three were a reflection of a muddling pace and a weak renewal of the race, compounded by the last fence refusal of Flowing Cadenza, a case of the contrasting fortunes of another Williams stable, that of Venetia, whose November has been unusually quiet.

Six year old Tour Ovalie concluded a double for the stable and her sixth career victory in the ensuing mares handicap hurdle over the minimum trip, this time ridden by trainer’s daughter Isobel Williams. Coming from behind, she fought her way through to overhaul David Pipe’s Walkadina a half furlong from home, scoring by 1/2l.

In a frustrating day for favourite backers, the only glimmer of hope was early in the day, when Toby McCain-Mitchell steered Tzarmix to a healthy 6 1/2l victory over Williams’ Walkinthewoods in the Conditional Riders Handicap Hurdle, denying the Welshman a treble. Thereafter, a series of frustrated attempts had layers getting the best of the argument in the ring.

5lb claimer James Turner had no ride in the boys’ race to start the card, but acquitted himself well 30 minutes later, when squeezing enough effort from outsider No Guarantee to pip the Twiston-Davies owned, trained and ridden favourite, Hopeless Dancer in the Claimer. This was a first victory at the 38th attempt for north Wiltshire trainer Alexander Gibbons.

Donald McCain’s percentages are poor around Ludlow, which may explain the 20/1 about Supreme George in the other chase, the E K Mowers & Lawn machinery Novices Handicap. Theo Gillard set about the race from the off, making the pace, and had enough in the tank to outrun Nordic Tiger and the fading L’Empire Vert, whose jumping let him down. Nordic Tiger, giving well over a stone, was proof that weight will stop a train, eventually, and must hope a return to conditions races allows him better conditions.

More normal conditions were resumed in the final two races, where Tom Bellamy, riding the five year old Wild Goose for Kim Bailey & Mat Nichols, set sail for home 3 out in the 2 mile handicap hurdle and put a full 13l between him and his nearest pursuer by the line.

Second-placed Fergal O’Brien in that race went one better in the final bumper when producing a 1-2 with Malina Road and For A Moment. Stable jockey Jonathan Burke had chosen maiden For A Moment, but experience told, as Jack Hogan capitalized on Malina Road’s Irish Point-to-Point experience to win by 2 1/4l. don’t rule out the second however, who was doing his best work at the close.