BERNARD Llewellyn can now claim to have trained a Derby winner, thanks to his Nabhan’s success in last Thursday’s Ladies Derby at Epsom.

He could also claim to have bred another winner, as his granddaughter Jessica was the successful jockey. It was her first victory, in just her sixth ride.

As we noted last week, the horse had won three races and been placed in 13 others, so his odds of 16/1 weren’t surprising and they looked even more justifiable when Nabhan was slowly away. He was well behind the leaders turning into the straight, but it transpired they’d gone off too fast. Epsom, with its ups and downs, and the lateral slope in the straight running down to the far rail, is a tricky course to negotiate. Jessica got Nabhan balanced and running, and his stamina came into play as he ranged up alongside the leader and went past in the last few strides.

Nabhan began his racing career with the top German trainer Andreas Wohler, and won his first outing in 2014 at Bremen, in the north of the country. Three more races that year suggested he was useful, but he didn’t appear on the course in 2015. He was then sold for just 5,000 guineas and has been with the Llewellyns ever since, mixing flat and jumping.

The yard suffered a disappointment with the mare Ginjo the next day at Newton Abbot. She’d come back from a lay-off of almost three years to run a good third and then be beaten a short head. Understandably made favourite this time, she faded out of contention about half a mile out.

Veteran trainer Milton Bradley saddled his first winner over jumps for seven years at Worcester on Monday with Asockastar. The horse had won a three-runner hunter chase at Fakenham in May for his owner and permit holder Daniel Bourne, who trains at Varteg near Pontypool. He then excelled himself by finishing third in the prestigious Horse and Hound Cup at Stratford. His handicap mark rocketed 12 pounds for that, which looked decidedly harsh, especially as the horse is eleven years old. Undaunted, Bourne decided to move Asockastar to Bradley’s yard, so that he would be eligible to run in handicaps, and at Worcester he trotted up by 15 lengths.

Local trainers should have runners at Chepstow’s meeting on Friday, which is Ladies Evening. Appropriately, the programme includes one of the Silk Series races for female jockeys, both professional and amateur. Another race is confined to fillies and mares that have not won in 2019. Tobouggaloo catches the eye here. She scored twice over course and distance in July 2017 and ran respectably a fortnight ago, on her first start after 660 days off.

The card begins with an apprentices race, in which Pandy trainer Nikki Evans has entered Carnage, who won over hurdles at Warwick in May. If he can translate that improvement to the flat – where his three runs have been very poor – he would have a fair chance provided the race is run at a good pace.