MANCHESTER United manager Sir Alex Ferguson wasn't on track – but his horse What A Friend certainly was in the Wiser Than Most Beginners' Chase at Uttoxeter.

Friday's race meet was the horse's first race since last March's Cheltenham Festival and represented champion trainer Paul Nicholls's first winner of the season at the course.

The five-year-old became involved in a ding-dong battle with favourite Carruthers right to the line, but prevailed at a price of 9-4.

The 4-1 joint favourite Hunters Ploy used his experience in the field of amateur point-to-point racing to good effect to win the None Wiser Maiden Hurdle for the Nigel Twiston-Davies training yard, which enhanced its current winner-to-runner ratio of one in three at the racecourse.

Great Endeavour (15-2), under jockey Timmy Murphy, made it two wins from two outings in the Abbots Bromley School For Girls National Hunt Novices' Hurdle.

Debutante Nothingbutthetruth took the Bet Wiser Novices' Selling Hurdle at 14-1, while Luccombe Bay was the 11-1 winner of the Howards Chartered Accountants Mares' Handicap Hurdle.

Artipreuil hadn't raced since the spring of 2007 – and had never won a race – but he put that right by taking the Glitzed 2 Bitz Handicap Chase at 33-1.

The closing David Parry Racing Partnerships Standard National Hunt Flat Race was for conditional and amateur riders, and 9-4 favourite Our Bomber Harris gave trainer Paul Nicholls a second winner for the afternoon.

The next racing at Uttoxeter Racecourse is Saturday, November 15. For information, visit www.uttoxeter-racecourse.co.uk.