Newmarket trainer Roger Varian was enthusiastic about the chances of Horsted Keynes for the feature race at Great Yarmouth yesterday, with good reason.
'I like him. He'll be happy on the ground and I hope he'll do well as a four-year-old this season,' he said before the race.
The gelding, a son of Giant's Causeway, duly delivered under Jamie Spencer, running out an impressive winner of the seven-furlong handicap.
The 6/4 favourite tracked the leaders and when Spencer said go the gelding cruised to victory, beating Tellovoi and Kakatosi with minimum fuss.
Rising star Oisin Murphy earlier delivered the spoils for trainer David Simcock when he got 7/1 chance Mindurownbusiness home in the mile handicap.
Murphy, who claims three pounds, is widely tipped as a future champion and he produced the three-year-old colt to collar long-time leader Crowdmania in the final furlong.
Crowdmania, a three-time winner on the all-weather, led from the stalls and few got in a blow, including Lady Cecil's short-priced favourite Equitable who finished last, before Murphy put the race away to take the near £5,000 race.
Murphy looked to have a chance of a double when he rode Bladewood Girl in the fillies' handicap but 9/4 joint favourite Meet Me Halfway ruined those hopes with a comfortable success.
Under George Baker for Chris Wall, the market leader travelled well and stormed through to get the better of Murphy's mount to win.
Baker had to move swiftly earlier. He entered the parade ring wearing a black cap and had to sprint to the jockey's room to switch to the advertised green cap of connections.
Shropshire trainer Mark Brisbourne had a 460-mile round trip in driving Taro Tywod to the course where the five-year-old mare won the nine-furlong handicap under Shane Kelly.
The 5/1 chance took it up three furlongs out and held off fast finishing Ela Goog La Mou, a winner at the track last week, but who simply couldn't get by a game winner.
There were no shocks in the opener when debutant filly Zuhoor Baynoona duly delivered for Ryan Moore and trainer Richard Fahey at 8/11.
The Elnadim filly was well away and ran out a comfortable winner over the five-furlong sprint with Moore only having to give minimum encouragement. Second was the more experienced King Crimson, under William Twiston-Davies for Mick Channon. Channon and Twiston-Davies went one better in the second race, another five-furlong maiden, when debutant Boy Wonder, the only gelding in a field of fillies, won by a head.
Boy Wonder, a £16,000 yearling, went off 4/7 favourite and in the end won more easily than the official verdict suggests from Vodka Chaser and apprentice jockey Philip Prince for Alison Hutchinson.
The finale was a triumph for five-pound claimer Danny Brock. He pushed Camelopardalis, trained by Phil McBride to the front early on and literally stole the race.
Despite toiling in the closing stages, the mare, returned at 4/1, held on from favourite Brown Pete and grey Zinnobar.
Next meeting is on Tuesday evening, May 20, first race at 5.30pm.
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