David Kemp continued his recent purple patch with a hat-trick at a sun-kissed Thurlow meeting on what felt like the first day of spring at Horseheath on Saturday.

David Kemp continued his recent purple patch with a hat-trick at a sun-kissed Thurlow meeting on what felt like the first day of spring at Horseheath on Saturday.

Trainer-rider Kemp, from Kilverstone, near Thetford, had notched a double at Cottenham the previous Saturday, so his three successes aboard Rydal Park, Where's My Baby and Lucky Mojo took his tally for the week to five.

The first two both justified red-hot favouritism with very smooth victories, and a similar story was unfolding in the closing Maiden Race as Lucky Mojo approached the final fence with a 10-length lead.

But he blundered badly at that obstacle and only once he had been overtaken by Blue Rebel did Lucky Mojo consent to restart his engines - in the nick of time, as he got back up in the shadow of the winning post to win by a head.

Kemp had a much less anxious experience aboard Rydal Park, who was barely out of second gear to beat Brown Teddy by ten lengths in the Mens Open. Rydal Park will now return to hunter chasing and has the option of either a relatively easy race at Leicester on March 6 or taking on the big boys in the Foxhunter at Cheltenham.

The middle leg of Kemp's trio came in the Restricted Race as Where's My Bay produced some superb leaps to come home a distance clear of Lord of The Knar.

The Piper's Son, owned by Tina Hayward, from Heydon, in conjunction with her near neighbour Clare Buxton, from Salle, proved himself a useful performer when fresh in winning the Intermediate Race by three lengths on his seasonal debut.