Lump Sum connections face conundrum over next move

Sam Thomas is unsure what direction to take with Lump Sum after finishing best of the rest behind Sir Gino in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle.

Winner of the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las on his seasonal reappearance, the six-year-old was thrown in at the deep end in Saturday’s Grade One feature at Gosforth Park, but justified the decision by picking up the silver medal behind Nicky Henderson’s impressive victor.

With the handicapper raising Lump Sum’s mark 1lb to 144, Thomas feels he is “between a rock and a hard place” as he considers his next move.

“He ran very well on Saturday and we obviously bumped into a very good horse,” said the trainer.

“The handicapper gave him a pound this morning. It’s nice to know we’ve got a nice horse, but we’re sort of in between a rock and a hard place, I suppose.

“We’re lucky to have him and hopefully he’ll keep progressing. He’s a good, fun horse.

“I’m not sure what we’ll do now, we’ll have a good chat with the boss (owner Dai Walters) and make a plan from there.”

With Christmas fast approaching, the Thomas string could hardly be in better form, with four of his last eight runners tasting victory.

He added: “They’re healthy at the minute, touch wood, and long may it continue.

“It’s a long season, but if we can keep them in one piece, we’ll be delighted.”