Micky Hammond in the winners again at Carlisle

Micky Hammond continued his excellent run of form with a Sunday double at Carlisle.

Micky Hammond continued his excellent run of form with a Sunday double at Carlisle.

The Middleham-based handler is enjoying a fine campaign and has hit a real hot streak in the last fortnight, with a Wetherby treble last week followed by a winner at Kelso on Saturday before he sent a four-strong team to Cumbria.

Hammond got the afternoon off to the best possible start, with Skywards Reward comfortably justifying 15-8 favouritism in division one of the Enhanced Place Odds At 188Bet Mobile Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.

With Hugo Thompson Brown taking an invaluable 10lb off his back, the seven-year-old scooted 17 lengths clear to clinch a second victory since the turn of the year.

Hammond said: "We were impressed with him and I'm sure the handicapper will be impressed with him too, so we might try to get him out again before he's reassessed.

"He's entered at Hexham (on Tuesday) and Market Rasen (on Wednesday). Those races might come a bit soon for him, but we've got until a week on Saturday, so we'll see what else we can find."

The trainer also landed division two, with champion conditional jockey-elect James Bowen securing his 50th winner of the season aboard 4-1 shot Dakota Grey.

"It's great to see Dakota Grey winning again. He likes the track and galloped all the way to the line, so we're delighted," Hammond added.

Hammond came fairly close to completing a hat-trick, with Cornerstone Lad filling the runner-up spot behind the Lucinda Russell-trained Kelpies Myth (4-1) in the Pauline Phizacklea Memorial Novices' Hurdle.

The trainer's fourth and final runner on the card, Justforjames, also picked up minor honours, placing third in the Premier League Betting At 188Bet Handicap Chase behind Doktor Glaz (4-1) from Rose Dobbin's yard.

Reflecting on the campaign as a whole, Hammond said: "Dakota Grey is our 40th winner of the season. That's better than last season, but not quite as good as the season before.

"I think in our best ever season a few years ago we had 52 winners. To get to 40 is great as there has been quite a few meetings abandoned in the last few weeks.

"We'll continue to work hard until the end of the season and if we can have another two or three winners, that would be great."

Just four runners went to post for the most valuable race of the day, the #14,300 Grand National Betting At 188Bet Chase.

Cracking Find was the 5-4 favourite for trainer Sue Smith in the hands of jockey Danny Cook and knuckled down well in the testing conditions to get the better of Skipping On by a length.

Dual point-to-point victor My Old Guard (4-1) opened his account under rules in the Read Noel Fehily At 188Bet Handicap Hurdle for Nicky Richards and Craig Nichol.