Stainsby Girl upset hot favourite You Wear It Well with a fine front-running victory in the Listed Virgin Bet Every Saturday Money Back Mares’ Hurdle at Haydock.

Cheltenham Festival heroine You Wear It Well was a 1-2 shot to to make the most of having her sights lowered, having finished third in the Grade One Fighting Fifth and second in a Grade Two at Doncaster on her last two starts.

However, Gavin Sheehan was sending out distress signals in the saddle even before the home turn and she was ultimately well beaten in third.

Stainsby Girl, trained by Nick Alexander and owned and ridden by his son, Kit, finished fifth behind the Willie Mullins-trained Ashroe Diamond at Doncaster three weeks ago and led her rivals a merry dance here on her way to a 12-length verdict over Coquelicot.

“I thought she’d run well as she’s run some great races around here. I’m thrilled to bits as she deserved some black type and that’s the first time she’s managed to get any,” said Alexander of his 8-1 winner.

“She’s 10 now, so she’ll be going to stud soon enough. She handles that ground and she’s very difficult to pass as a lot of horses don’t handle it.

“We’re very lucky the BHA moved the race here after Warwick was abandoned last week, many thanks to them and to Haydock for doing so. We weren’t in the race at Warwick, so it’s a bit of good fortune.

“Kit owns her so we’ll see what he wants to do, but he gets some thrill riding her so he might want to have another go or two with her I would think. On the other hand she’s won her Listed race now and she’s booked in to see Logician, so she might just go there.”

Now Is The Hour completed a big-race double on the card for Gavin Cromwell and Sean Flanagan, dominating his rivals in the Grade Two Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices’ Hurdle.

While stablemate Yeah Man was a well-fancied winner of the Grand National Trial earlier in the afternoon, this recent Limerick scorer was 12-1 to scoop Grade Two honours.

He could be called the winner a long way from home, though, cruising into contention before pulling 17 lengths clear of Don’t Rightly Know.

Flanagan, riding at Haydock for the first time, said: “I’m just very privileged to come here and ride for the likes of Gavin – he’s produced this horse brilliantly on the day.

“It’s a big thing to him that he really enjoys this type of ground. We’ve gone very quick to the first bend and I’ve kind of let them at it up front and left my horse to be comfortable for as long as I could.

“I’ve got into a nice rhythm and he’s come home well because of that. He’s a nice prospect.”

Jonjo O’Neill and Nick Schofield combined to land the Virgin Bet Daily Extra Places Handicap Chase with 11-4 market leader Regal Blue.

The seven-year-old was disappointingly pulled up on his most recent appearance at Lingfield, but bounced back to form with a determined three-length success.

Schofield said: “He really enjoyed conditions today when others probably didn’t. You have to be tough on this ground. He’s no speedster, but he keeps going.

“It’s totally different conditions to day to what we got at Lingfield. He ran well here the time before, we’ve brought him back to what we know and it’s worked.”

The Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Cuthbert Dibble (6-4 favourite) made it two from two for the season and four from seven over obstacles overall in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle under 5lb claimer Finn Lambert.

Willy Twiston-Davies, assistant to his father, said: “I thought that was impressive, he made a lot of ground up early in the straight and was left dawdling in front a bit.

“We’ve always held him in high regard and he’s getting his act together as the years go on.

“The Pertemps Final has got to be under consideration, he’s had a hard race but he’ll definitely have an entry and we’ll see what the handicapper does.

“Chasing next year will be his thing. We’ve always known he was an exciting horse and he’s proven that again today.”

Jamie Snowden’s You Wear It Well will head for the relocated Ashton Mares’ Hurdle at Haydock on Saturday after a campaign disrupted by adverse weather.

The seven-year-old was the winner of the Jack De Bromhead Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last season and made a good start to this term when taking the Listed bet365 Mares’ Hurdle at Wetherby on debut.

In Grade One company she was third home in the Fighting Fifth when it was relocated to Sandown, the first of several occasions when her plans were interrupted by the ramifications of the British weather in winter.

Outings to Sandown, Lingfield and Ascot were all scuppered due to conditions, and the Warwick meeting that originally included the Ashton Mares’ Hurdle was also abandoned last weekend.

Haydock will now host that contest this weekend, with the two-mile-three-furlong Listed event attracting five runners.

Snowden said: “She’s in great order, she’s done some work on the grass and she’ll hopefully be heading to Haydock on Saturday.

“She was meant to go to Sandown, that was cancelled, she was meant to go to Lingfield, that was cancelled, she was meant to go to Ascot, that was cancelled, she was meant to go to Warwick and that was cancelled!

“Finally we’re going to be able to get the run, let’s hope Haydock survives the weather as well.”

You Wear It Well holds an entry for the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and the race remains the likely target, though Snowden may also give her an entry in the Coral Cup.

He said: “As ever each race determines the next race, that’s the nature of racing, but the Mares’ Hurdle is probably the obvious race to go for, though I might give her an entry in the Coral Cup as well.”

Oliver Greenall expects another bold showing from Windtothelightning in the TrustATrader Warwick Mares’ Hurdle on Saturday.

While the six-year-old is taking a big jump in class and is facing Jamie Snowden’s Cheltenham Festival winner You Wear It Well, Greenall is buoyed by the fact that only four will go to post for the Listed race.

The winner of four of her seven races under rules, Greenall, who trains in partnership with Josh Guerriero, hopes she can pick up some black type before potentially going chasing next season.

“She’s a mare on the up and I couldn’t believe that there was only four runners,” he said.

“She seems well, she’s had plenty of time since her last run, she should like the ground and she’s a tough, honest little mare.

“I can’t quite believe we are where we are with her to be honest, because she’s not flashy at home at all. She wasn’t over-expensive and when we first got her, she was a bit workmanlike and we didn’t have great expectations.

“We’re just delighted really that she keeps progressing and hopefully she’ll run well again.

“I think she’ll get three miles in time and, while she is a little bit small, I think she’ll go chasing.”

Dan Skelton’s Get A Tonic also runs, along with Mel Rowley’s Blue Beach.

You Wear It Well remains on course for a crack at more Cheltenham Festival glory in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle after running with credit in defeat at Doncaster last weekend.

Jamie Snowden’s charge produced her best effort as a novice at Prestbury Park when making all to see off 20 rivals in Grade Two company last March, scoring at generous odds of 16-1 under Gavin Sheehan.

She kicked off this term by getting the better of Luccia at Wetherby over two miles before being a well-beaten favourite in the rearranged Fighting Fifth at Sandown.

Snowden opted to step her up to an extended three miles in the Warfield Mares’ Hurdle, with a change of tactics deployed, as she was held up at the back early on.

You Wear It Well came through to challenge Marie’s Rock at the final flight but just found the 2022 Mares’ Hurdle winner too strong on the run-in.

“I think we just got beat by a better horse on the day in that set of circumstances,” said Snowden.

“It was our first try at the trip and the ground was a little bit quicker than ideal. It turned into a little bit of a sprint from three out and we had a bit of ground to make up.

“But Marie’s Rock is rated 150, we’re rated 140, we were carrying the same weight and we only got beat a length and a half, so it was a decent performance and I was glad to get that run into her, it was a nice run.

“The Mares’ Hurdle is the plan and we might look at the Warwick race (February 10) on route.”

You Wear It Well will go back against her own sex in the new year after failing to really fire in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Sandown on Saturday.

With the Grade One contest rescheduled following the abandonment of racing at Newcastle the previous Saturday, and Constitution Hill and his stablemate Shishkin withdrawn on account of testing conditions, everything appeared to be falling into place for Jamie Snowden’s star mare.

The six-year-old had already shown her well-being this season by landing a Listed prize at Wetherby, and with Snowden having won the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury the previous weekend with Datsalrightgino, You Wear It Well was favourite to provide him with another major Saturday success in Esher.

Ultimately, though, the daughter of Midnight Legend was well beaten in third place behind the popular veteran Not So Sleepy and fellow mare Love Envoi, and Snowden feels his charge underperformed.

He said: “I think the handicapper had it on form that she had to improve to win that race, even without the two defections. She ran all right, but probably hasn’t run her race, I would have said.

“Her price was probably skewed by the form of the yard and this, that and the other, but she’s run OK in the circumstances.

“She goes on soft ground, but that really was terrible ground on Saturday and she didn’t really get into any great rhythm. She was a bit keen early on and missed a couple of hurdles.

“Take nothing away from anyone, but it probably wasn’t her true running.”

You Wear It Well’s main objective is to secure a second Cheltenham Festival success in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle in March, having last season landed the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.

What route she takes to Prestbury Park is uncertain, but she appears unlikely to take on the boys in the meantime.

“I think going back against her own sex makes sense really,” Snowden added.

“Due to a lack of a realistic opportunity for her in December, we thought we’d take our chance in the Fighting Fifth, and the fact that she went off favourite suggests it wasn’t a ridiculous decision to go down that kind of route.

“It didn’t quite work out, but we’ll dust ourselves down and go again. There are mares’ races for her at Sandown and Doncaster and Warwick, so there are plenty of opportunities between now and March.”