RUBY Walsh teamed up with Paul Nicholls to land a late afternoon's double at Luddington Road last Sunday.

The Irish jockey triumphed in the penultimate race on Sweet Diversion and then steered Darrias to a Stratford treble in the last - the Premier Cru Novices' Hurdle.

Walsh and Richard Johnson, on board Celtic Boy, leapt the penultimate obstacle together but Johnson crashed to the floor leaving Sweet Diversion a clear run to the line.

Long-time leader Althrey Dandy was also a faller and Walsh's only danger was the Martin Pipe trained favourite Mioche D'estruval who made a gallant bid to make up the six lengths on the eventual winner.

Johnson, to his credit, remounted to claim third place to go alongside his success earlier in the day on Monticelli who won the Parkridge Handicap Hurdle for Philip Hobbs.

Swiftly

After steering Sweet Diversion to the post, Walsh was swiftly back in the winners' enclosure when odds-on shot Darrias easily swept aside the challenge of Settlement Craic in the last.

The favourite also took the opener in the shape of Charlies Double but Broom handler Tony Carroll's hopes of seeing 3/1 favourite Kind Sir rewarding local backers were dashed in the second race when Calon Lau took up the running two out to take the Hospice at Home Nurses Handicap Steeple Chase.

Carroll then had high hopes of victory at his local course when Moving Earth was in a field of seven for the feature race - the Sandal House Stud Handicap Steeple Chase.

The Nicholls-trained Montifault appeared the biggest danger but it was Little Big Horse who proved big enough for the occasion who came through to pass Carroll's 12-year-old and subsequently Jonjo O'Neill's Dark Room in the day's tightest finish.