Racing: Game Silver dead-heats

Minella Silver made an expected winning reappearance at Mollington on Saturday, but had to call on his final ounce of courage to snatch a dead-heat with ex-chaser Celtic Season in atrocious conditions.

"I thought he'd just popped his head back in front on the line as he's such a game horse" said Jane Thornton, who now has charge of Minella Silver following the death in November of his previous trainer, John Downes.

The latter is still very much in her thoughts, as Ms Thornton explained: "I was clearing out his car after he died and found a list of the races he planned to run Minella Silver in this season, and they included the Cheltenham Foxhunter, so we'll follow his instructions to the letter."