A quiet afternoon of action yesterday was significantly boosted by the re-arrangement of the Listed Huntingdon Racecourse/HBLB mares’ bumper from the abandoned Boxing Day card.

It gave Harry Fry’s Bitofapuzzle (5-2) a slightly later opportunity to stretch her unbeaten Rules record to two as Noel Fehily made all of the running to thwart the promising 9-4 favourite Tara Mist by four lengths.

‘‘It’s full credit to Huntingdon, the BHA and the Levy Board for getting the race on,’’ said Fry.

‘‘The plan was to go last week, so it’s great we could come back. She’s a big, strong mare, and we knew she would go on the ground.

‘‘She is for sale, but only to stay in the yard. She’ll stay down the mares’ bumper route and hopefully we’ll go for the race at Sandown at the beginning of March and then on to Aintree.’’ Mijhaar’s promising start to jumping came to an abrupt end as he took a tired finalflight fall when already toiling behind the Seamus Mullins-trained Steel City in the 32Red Casino Novices’ Hurdle.

One of the most interesting Flat recruits for the powerful John Ferguson stable, the gelding had been Group-class for Roger Varian but had often proved unreliable.

Thoroughly impressive on his first outing for Bloomfields at Doncaster, Mijhaar was sent off the 1-2 favourite and Denis O’Regan found himself leading from the start with his five rivals all looking reluctant to cut out the running.

The market leader appeared to be struggling when 16-1 chance Steel City joined him at the third-last and eventually stretched 24 lengths clear of Arthur’s Oak under Andrew Thornton Mijhaar was down for a little while but happily rose to his feet.

Mullins’ most recent winner had also been at the Cambridgeshire track through Fergall in mid-December and it was only Steel City’s second start for the Wiltshire-based trainer since leaving Paul Henderson.

‘‘I was saying that Huntingdon never used to be a lucky place for us, but it’s nice to have had another winner there,’’ Mullins said.

‘‘He’s a good moving horse with a lovely attitude and, being by Act One, maybe the ground suited us better than anyone else.

‘‘There are no real plans for him, you’d like to see him do something like that again, but he’ll be a chaser eventually.’’ Flemi Two Toes (7-2) prevailed in a great finish with Tarraco in the 32Red Handicap Chase, while Boomtown made all as 9-4 favourite in the 32Red Casino Handicap Hurdle.

Ringa Bay (5-2) was left with the 32Red.com Handicap Chase at his mercy after the departure of Strawberry Hill, although Aidan Coleman was given a two-day whip ban (January 16-17) on runner-up Mentalist.

Jake Greenall was in even hotter water with a 10-day ban (January 16-25) for failing to dismount the apparently lame Anshantor in the 32RedPoker.

com Maiden Hurdle won by Carole’s Destrier (11-8).

The 32Red Handicap Hurdle went to 11-4 favourite Beauboreen and the 32Red bumper to Philip Hobbs’ 4-5 favourite River Deep.

MICHAEL SCUDAMORE is still debating which way to prepare Monbeg Dude ahead of his main assignment of the Crabbie’s Grand National.

An outing over fences at some point in late February or early March would appear to be Scudamore’s preference at the moment, although another start in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which he was pulled up last year, is less favoured.

Last season’s Welsh National winner struck for the first time since that occasion when taking a Grade Three at Cheltenham’s December meeting.

It sparked Aintree dreams for his syndicate of owners, rugby players Mike Tindall, James Simpson-Daniel and Nicky Robinson, while Tindall’s wife Zara Phillips has been coaching Monbeg Dude in the jumping department.