Ceremony wins G2 Rendlesham Hurdle for Flemensfirth

Closing Ceremony (6g Flemensfirth-Supreme Von Pres, Presenting) put in an impressive front-running performance at Haydock on Saturday to win the G2 Rendlesham Hurdle to bring more graded-race success for Flemensfirth. Seeyouatmidnight joined Closing Ceremony at the third last but the winner battled gamely to come home two and three-quarter lengths clear of his rival under Richie McLernon. Trainer Emma Lavelle sees Closing Ceremony, who was bred by Margaret Treacy, as a future chaser and he is not certain to head to the Cheltenham Festival. “I'm absolutely thrilled, he's so brave and tough,” Lavelle told PA Sport. “His jumping won him it today, he's very quick over hurdles and Richie gets on so well with him. He just kept on galloping. He's done so well in soft ground this year that I didn't know if he'd handle the better ground today. "He's qualified for the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham, but I'm not sure if that's the right sort of race for him, because this season is just a stepping stone to going chasing.”