It was party night for hundreds at Stratford on Saturday as the racecourse made up ground on its lost hunter chase fixture the previous evening. Birthday parties were in abundance, with no less than 4 races celebrating age milestones, and one memorial race for good measure to balance it out. The evening finished with some fine ol' Nashville country toons from Boss & The Hogs as the recent heatwave subsided into something more manageable.

Runners continue to be scarce in these early season fixtures - largely a result of the dry spell. Not so much that the racecourse is not well watered; rather that many of the smaller training establishments have more limited access to all-weather surfaces on which to train and their own grass gallops are compromised meantime in the absence of rain. 42 runners across 7 races made for only one race meriting each way betting and some slowly run races.

Imperial Alex made favourite backers happy when landing the Farmers Fresh Handicap Chase, a 3m 3f contest for horses rated up to 125. The Tom Lacey- trained gelding had been narrowly beaten at Ffos Las at the start of the month, but made headway from 2 out, catching Yes Day and Esperti at the last, and going on to score by 2 1/4l under Stan Sheppard.

Machete Beach defied a penalty to win his second novice hurdle on the bounce for Jamie Snowden, who already has 10 winners on the board in this fledgling new season. Gavin Sheehan had more in the tank with this front runner, and there's every chance he might run up a hat trick.

Another setting a brisk pace is Sean Bowen, who has voiced his ambition of surpassing McCoy's record of 289 winners in a season. He racked up winner 24 in bringing Stellarmasterpiece from last to first to win cleverly 110 yards from the line in the mares limited handicap hurdle over the minimum trip. The modest prize money won't make much of a dent in the £8,000 fine meted out to winning trainer Mickey Hammond for 3 positive tests for anti-inflammatory drugs in April, but it's proof, were it needed, that the former northern jockey's training ability is sound, even if his paperwork is not.

Henry Oliver got off the mark for the new season when Juan Bermudez made all to win the 2m 2f handicap hurdle under Lily Pinchin. Unlucky in second, a length behind was 85/40 favourite Hope Rising, who would have made a double for Jamie Snowden, but for whipping round at the start and losing some 10l, compounded by losing a front shoe too. One to keep an eye out for next time in similar company.

The 12 fences of the Owen Thomas Memorial Handicap Chase proved little obstacle to Ben Pauling front-runner Rocks Up Late, whose winning syndicate North Wessex Racing just about crowded on to the winner's podium for the presentation. The six year old clocked up 4 handicaps last summer, going up 21lbs in the handicap, and this was his first winning outing since, under Ben Jones.

The evening concluded with a brace of winners for Fergal O'Brien, the first barely enough to raise the heart rate, the second the complete opposite.

Gateau de Miel and Two To Tango went on before two out in the 2m 5f handicap chase, before Tom Broughton asserted before the last and went on to score by 10l.

By contrast, Liam Harrison fought out a terrific duel on American Trio with Joe Anderson on Lion Of The Desert, whose mistake at the last cost him the race, going down by a head at the line. A great way to conclude the racing.