Festive cheer was in the air and as the majority of people in Newcastle were balancing shopping bags filled with presents, others had congregated at Gosforth Park for a late afternoon race meeting filled with quality and action.

The spotlight may have been shining on the classy national hunt meetings at Aintree and Sandown earlier in the day but this evening meeting at Newcastle had its own share of quality with a brace of class two events and three potentially informative novice events for juveniles. The all-weather flat season had resumed this week after a short period of rest and the race cards held plenty of substance through the nine race meeting. The heavy rain that had fallen on the area in the days leading up to race day had dissipated and the low ambient temperatures failed to deter the hardy racegoers away from the course and they were rewarded with plenty of exciting action.

Race One: The Boost Your Acca-Fenwa With BetUK Handicap - Class Two - 1 mile, 2 furlongs - Runners: 9
Winner: TO CATCH A THIEF (#9) (Cracksman x Westwiththenight) - A. Farragher - W. Haggas.

The racecard kicked off with good quality action right out of the box with this class two handicap over the intermediate distance of ten furlongs. Most of the runners were heading towards the veteran stage of their careers but had plenty of winning form at a higher level and remained popular servants to their connections.

Former course winner Sir Busker headed the weights for the opener. His career highlight came in last year's Group One Juddmonte International in which he finished third. This year has yet to yield the same success, despite a second in listed company, but the seven year old was a welcome addition to the card. Felix was another high class type in his heyday and was another to be placed at the highest level in Dubai in 2021. The Brian Ellison-trained Onesmoothoperator returned to Gosforth Park on the back on his win in the rearranged November Handicap and dropped down in distance for this good race.  At the other end of the spectrum, the lightly raced To Catch A Thief represented powerful connections and was a winner last time out on his third career start. Fellow three-year-old Afterwards had the same amount of race starts and the course winner would be returning from a break. Zozimus has competed in competitive handicaps and run with credit throughout the season without winning, while six-time winner Island Bandit has given his connections plenty of profitable days out in recent years. The highly experienced pair of United Nations and Furzig, also course winners earlier in their careers, rounded out the field in this valuable opening race.

From the outset, it would appear that none of the jockeys were keen on making the running and it led to a very pedestrian opening couple of furlongs. In not much more than a hack canter, Adam Farragher aboard To Catch A Thief decided to set the pace as the likes of Island Bandit, Zozimus, United Nations and Furzig all took fierce holds and using up valuable energy early on. Little change in the order took place throughout the contest with the strongly fancied To Catch A Thief still at the head of affairs with fellow three-year-old Afterwards and keen going Island Bandit never far away. The one who began to struggle at the crown of the home bend would be Zozimus whose first time hood failed to produce the desired effect and soon tailed off. Entering the final stages, the old boy Sir Busker had travelled stylishly into contention along with Onesmoothoperator who was looking for another big Newcastle win. In front, To Catch A Thief ramped up the pressure and he began to pull away from his challengers, making it a catch me if you can situation. Grinding out a hard fought success, it would be a likeable display by the William Haggas-trained gelding who races in the famous Oppenheimer silks. From the family of strong stayers Frankly Darling, Our Obsession and Hold The Line, To Catch A Thief looks an equally smart prospect and could be set for bigger things next year of longer distances. Sir Busker ran a great race by carrying nine stone twelve pounds into second and Onesmoothoperator was tapped for toe at a vital stage over the shorter trip. Afterwards took home fourth on his first start since the Dee Stakes back in May. 

Race Two: The Bet £10 Win £40 At BetMGM Nursery Handicap - Class Five - 7 Furlongs - 2-Y-O Only - Runners: 10

Winner: NEVER FEAR (#2) (No Nay Never x Matorio) - J. Mitchell - C. Johnston.

Despite being a class five event, this nursery handicap possessed plenty of substance and included a few runners who have raced at a higher level earlier in the year. 

Callianassa has been kept on the go since April and taken part in some very classy juvenile events in the summer, but has remained a maiden. She stepped up to seven furlongs here for the first time on the back of a good second last time out. The Charlie Johnston-trained Never Fear has won twice on the all-weather this season and was looking to boost that record here. Richard Fahey's filly Leveret went close on her first two starts here before disappointing recently. She switched to handicaps in search of a first win. James Fanshawe's gelding Enpassant has bumped into one too good on more than one occasion recently and even passed the post in front here until the stewards demoted him to second for interference. Valadero showed plenty of promise at the start of the season after finishing second in the opening day's Brocklesby Stakes, but failed to progress in subsequent races. The Kevin Ryan-trained Game Management showed promise at big prices in three turf novice events and made his all-weather and handicap debut. The well connected and well bred filly Fariha showed bundles of improvement on her synthetics bow when finishing a narrow second here recently. Tim Easterby's Chat Up Line has taken part in plenty of races during her first season of racing and leading syndicates Middleham Park and Nick Bradley Racing were represented by Flying Fletcher in the famous light blue silks and Petra Celera, a dual winner in the white and black silks.  

In a field full of contrasting variables, the outcome of the race was hotly contested and produced a thrilling finish. As the gates opened, Enpassant reared in the air and lost ground on his rivals while the keen going Game Management set a sensible gallop up front. Heading into the final stages of the race, the group of ten had fanned out across the track to make their challenge. At the furlong pole, it was difficult to pick the winner but the place to be was at the front of the pack. Petra Celera arrived on the scene to take the overall lead entering the final furlong but was joined by the fellow filly Never Fear. The pair went eye to eye and stride for stride as the winning post grew ever larger. It would be a case of heads up, heads down as the duo crossed the line as one and the judge was needed to determine the winner. After a brief pause, it was announced Never Fear had landed the prize by the narrowest of margins. The connections of Petra Celera would feel mixed emotions to lose out in that fashion while the slow starting Enpassant rallied home to take third from Leveret who had returned to form. It would be a third career win for the Charlie Johnston-trained Never Fear and all of those wins have come on synthetic surfaces. The daughter of No Nay Never won on her debut at Wolverhamption at the end of May before taking in the Hilary Needler Trophy at Beverley. She would return to the winners' enclosure for the second time at Dunstall Park last time out before landing this useful looking race at Newcastle. With her liking for the surface confirmed, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Never Fear win more of these races. 

Race Three: The BetMGM It's Showtime EBF Future Stayers Novice Stakes - Class Three - 7 Furlongs - 2-Y-O Only - Runners: 4

Winner: CHAMPAGNE PRINCE (#1) (Lope de Vega x Maid Up) - D. Muscutt - J. Chapple-Hyam

The first of two juvenile novices would take place and this seven furlong contest could bear significance for the future. The modern way of training racehorses features heavy use of all-weather surfaces at stables around the country. Novice events at places like Newcastle have improved massively in quality given its all year round availability and home comforts for a newcomer. The final few months of recent years have seen future legends of the sport land their first career win on this surface, namely from the John Gosden stable. Double Arc winner and triple King George winner Enable, triple Ascot Gold Cup winner Stradivarius and this year's Juddmonte International winner Mostahdaf have all used Newcastle as a stepping stone to their immortality. Subsequent Group One winners Mabs Cross and Without Parole also have a win at Gosforth Park on their CV. In more recent times, the past few weeks have seen Lautrec, a half sister to St Marks Basilica make a winning debut and the beautifully bred pair of Meydaan and Mr Hampstead fought out the finish here recently and both look very talented. 

Therefore, this future stayers' novice race would prove to be essential viewing and the race was restricted to horses whose parents won over at least a mile and a quarter . A field of four runners took to the start, but the quartet all looked noteworthy. The obvious starting point would be the Jane Chapple-Hyam trained Champagne Prince, who hails from a very successful family and made a big impression on his debut by winning with plenty in hand. The grey faced the burden of carrying a winners' penalty, but expectations were high. The horse racing town of Newmarket would be doubly represented with the William Haggas-trained newcomer Kilt bringing plenty to the table. The colt can lay claim to high class parents and was evidently well thought of. The second newcomer had a shorter journey to make as Adrian Keatley's gelding Smooth Transition travelled up from Malton. The field of four would be completed by the once-raced Artistic Mission from the Middleham stable of Karl Burke. 

With such a small field, the race was always expected to be tactical with a lack of pace on offer. The long odds on favourite Champagne Prince would be the reluctant leader under Dan Muscutt as the pair opted for the stands rail route. Artistic Mission raced a couple of horse widths away from the leader but kept tabs on him as the two debutants Kilt and Smooth Transition were learning on the job. Entering the halfway stage, it looked like the contest would be closer than imagined as Artistic Mission moved up to challenge Champagne Prince who began to receive a few nudges from Muscutt. The opposing threat would be only brief however as the grey colt picked up nicely and began to pull right away from his nearest pursuer. The son of Lope de Vega careered away in the style of a very good horse and crossed the line over three lengths clear of Artistic Mission with Kilt rattling home into third after the lightbulb above his head flicked on. Smooth Transition ran a promising debut by finishing fourth but on the heels of the podium positions. 
The eye-catching grey is the first foal of Maid Up, a talented filly who won at Group Three level for Andrew Balding and was narrowly beaten in a Group Two. She won over a distance of fourteen furlongs which justifies Champagne Prince's strength at the finish over the seven furlong trip. Giving six pounds away to his three rivals, this win matched the impressiveness of his debut at Chelmsford and he should go on to much better things next year. 

Race Four: The Bet £10 Win £40 With BetMGM EBF Restricted Novice Stakes - Class Four - 6 Furlongs - 2-Y-O Only - Runners: 11

Winner: HEARTWARMER (#5) (Holy Roman Emperor x Heatwave) - D. Muscutt - G. Boughey

The second novice event for juveniles was aimed at the more speedier-bred types and saw a healthy sized field take to the start of this six furlong dash. The race was also restricted to runners who had raced no more than three times to date, which provided optimism of seeing an improving type landing this race.

The Tim Easterby-trained Valentine Catcher made his debut late in the turf season and made a good impression by winning at the first time of asking, but faced a winners' penalty here. There would be plenty of challengers in opposition and the half of the eleven strong field consisted of fillies. The George Boughey-trained Heartwarmer is related to plenty of high class horses in Hong Kong and made appeal on the base of her trainer. Fellow newcomer Dollarindex represented the Bryan Smart stable and is related to last year's precocious type Eddie's Boy. Front Gunner held strong claims on his form and caught the eye on debut when fourth here last month. Smart Vision was another to finish gradually closer on both starts for trainer Jessica Macey, with similar comments applied to Adam Nicol's filly Lady Phoebe. Alreet Cha showed big improvement on her most recent start when third for Craig Lidster while Julie Camacho's Grand Lady, Mark Walford's Groove Inn and Tristan Davidson's Royal City had a brace of midfield finishes each to their name. The gelding Marmaduke Lemon made his debut for Group One winning trainer Ed Bethell who is capable of introducing winning newcomers.

There would be slight drama even before the race had begun as Grand Lady unceremoniously dumped Cam Hardie on the ground exiting the paddock and bolted loose towards the start. She was caught and remounted before taking the race start as if nothing had happened. As the gates opened, the outsider Royal City ducked out to her right and cannoned into Grand Lady, Groove Inn and Dollarindex which set them all on the back foot. At the head of the field, Front Gunner was well named for the honour of leading as the arrow-like formation made their way back home. Like so often at Newcastle, the place to be is near the pace and a group of six began to fight out the finish. As Front Gunner weakened, he was flanked by Smart Vision and Valentine Catcher who threw their hats into the ring. As they focussed on each other, the newcomer Heartwarmer showed a smart change of gear and finished best of all to making a winning debut and make it a double for Dan Muscutt. Winning by a length over previous winner Valentine Catcher, the performance can be rated higher as the filly raced with inexperience early on. Travelling all the way from Newmarket, the George Boughey juvenile carries the famous silks of owner/breeder Kirsten Rausing and has a high class family. Her pedigree includes Time Warp and Glorious Forever, a pair of multiple Group One winners in Hong Kong and legends in that area. Making the perfect start to her racing career, Heartwarmer is one to follow with interest wherever she goes. 

Race Five: The BetMGM EBF Restricted Novice Stakes (Div. II) - Class Four- 6 furlongs - 2-Y-O only - Runners: 10

Winner: FLETCHERS DREAM (#3) (Advertise x Poet's Princess) - T. Eaves - C. Lidster

The second division of the juvenile sprint novice saw plenty of runners, but was arguably the weaker of the two divisions. In an open contest, there would be an interesting mix of newcomers from leading stables, once raced types with plenty of improvement in the locker and others who appeared to be longer term projects.

Of those with experience, the Jane Chapple-Hyam stable looked to have a leading chance with the once raced Elderflower, who ran a stormer in a valuable sales race when sixth on debut. James Fanshawe's Heathcliff looked inexperienced on debut so will hopefully be more streetwise here. Mick Easterby's Cassanos Lad endured a tough experience on debut when unseating his rider shortly after the start. Walter Mitty and Lang Toon Lad were two others with the solitary start under their belts and Showmeagoodtime represented rookie trainer Fionn McSharry. The remainder of the ten strong field consisted of newcomers. Manhattan Sunday hailed from the Julie Camacho and is a half brother to his useful stablemate Enraged, while Charlie Fellowes is no stranger to producing winning debutants and was introduced Twirler, a son of Cable Bay. Mark Walford's Highclere Girl and Craig Lidster's Fletchers Dream both made their debuts and had some smart sorts featured in their distant families.

Division two of the novice saw a similarly exciting finish and a near carbon copy of the race running. All of the runners left the stalls without issue this time to the relief of many and the long priced outsider Showmeagoodtime inherited a clear lead under Paddy Mathers. The pace remained pretty even and the main group kept their eyes pinned on the leader. Showmeagoodtime expectedly came back to the group in the final furlong and the picture of the race changed drastically. Fletchers Dream took up the lead but only narrowly as Twirler, Cassanos Lad, Elderflower and Heathcliff all breathed down Fletchers Dream's neck. Entering the final stages, it would be Heathcliff who was last to challenge the leader and the pair battled hard in the final stages. The nose of Fletchers Dream stretched ahead at the line and he had narrowly held on for a winning debut under Tom Eaves. Heatchcliff had to settle for second, but a much better effort, with Twirler making a promising debut in third and Cassanos Lad running well on his first "race", getting much further than his debut. 

It would be another winning debut for the Craig Lidster outfit who have enjoyed their best season ever this year. Fletchers Dream is a son of first season sire, the Group One winner Advertise and his family includes Palace Affair and Queen's Grace, both listed winners for Hughie Morrison. The promising colt would also provide his owner Steve Burdett with a winner on the eve of his birthday.

Race Six: The Boost Your Acca At BetMGM Handicap - Class Two - 7 Furlongs - Runners: 10

Winner: MASTER ZOFFANY (#10) (Zoffany x Dufoof) - C. Hardie - R. Fahey

The action returned to the classier side with the second class two handicap of the evening, this time over the straight seven furlongs. The race saw plenty of former winners and regulars at this level, with trainers evidently keen on getting one more run into their horses this year.

The weights were headed by the five year old Greatgadian who has produced some smart efforts in defeat this year in strong handicaps and was a winner here on his penultimate start at a lower level. The popular grey Zip posted his usual game effort when third in this race last year and was a winner on his beloved heavy ground at Doncaster in October. The three-year-old Tough Enough possessed the most potential to reach a higher level than this after three career wins. Symbolise represented the Julie Camacho stable who have ridden the highs of their greatest season to date and veterans Scottish Summit and Escobar have done very well to remain at this level at their ages. Darwell Lion made a return to action following a break and stable switch to the shrewd Ruth Carr in Malton. Smart handicappers Marshall Dan and Master Zoffany have competed in competitive races throughout the season and accredited themselves well and the racecard would be completed by the once promising juvenile Chuzzlewit, who was looking to find his form again. 

The competitive handicap saw the Heather Main-trained Marshal Dan deposit Gina Mangan to the ground and was another to take the fast route to the stalls. He was unscathed and equally eager to return home in the race itself by taking a keen hold. The pace would be dictated by the popular grey Zip in his customary headgear as the likes of Symbolize, Marshal Dan and the also keen Darwell Lion kept the leader honest.  The pace began to increase approaching the final furlong and Zip was a sitting duck to his rivals. Greatgadian had caught the eye with his mid race forward move and the Roger Varian-trained gelding took up the running for a brief moment. The lightly weighted Master Zoffany had also come from the rear and flashed home under Cam Hardie to win comfortably in the end and win for the sixth time. The bottom weight defeated the top weight as Greatgadian ran another good race into second with the early leader Zip holding on for third. Chuzzlewit ran one of his better races by finishing fourth. 
The race would see a first-third result for the Richard Fahey stable and it would be another smart display by the five year old Master Zoffany. A regular winner at the tight and twisty Chester, he was a winner as recently as September. This would be one of his better performances and first win on a straight track. 

Race Seven: The Best Racing Odds Guaranteed At BetMGM Handicap - Class Six - 7 Furlongs - Runners: 12

Winner: ADMIRAL NELSON (#8) (Kingman x Shamandar) - C. Hardie - P. Niven

The action moved down the lower reaches of the sport with this class six event, but some of the names in attendance once possessed the ability to run a much higher level in their youth.

The top weight Maxzeno has evidently failed to tap into the high class ability of his relatives, the Group-class pair of Danzeno and Demora, but his trainer Mick Appleby will know everything about the family. The four year old remains a maiden, but has gone tantalisingly close on more than one occasion. Admiral Nelson started his career at Ballydoyle under the care of Aidan O'Brien, running in Group races as recently as 2020, but the wheels have fallen off completely and made his debut for the Peter Niven stable at this basement level. The stable of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero have been in red hot form over jumps recently and they saddled Dandys Derriere, a winner at this level earlier in the season. Berkshire Phantom is another to have started out his career with plenty of potential, but has slipped down the weights now. It is rare to see horses from the Classic-winning stable of Roger Varian running at this level so the three-year-old filly Bonkersinabundance made appeal in the race given her connections. In a run of the mill event, former course and distance winners returned to Newcastle once again such as Absolute Dream, Jems Bond and Code Purple with the Kevin Frost-trained pair of Fiftyshadesofred and Amaysmount also claiming that accolade. The lightly raced Plink and inconsistent filly Miss Britain completed the maximum sized field.

There would be a slight delay to the start as Dandys Derriere would prove difficult to load into the gates but after plenty of hard work by the handlers, the horse consented to going into his gate. As the race got underway, the idle Dandys Derriere suddenly came alive and dashed into a clear lead in the opening stages. At the head of the chasing peloton, Berkshire Phantom and Fiftyshadesofred cut out a more sensible pace for the remainder. The likes of Bonkersinabundance, Absolute Dream and Jems Bond were all held up at the rear but failed to get involved at any stage. The favourite Amaysmount inherited the lead as Dandys Derriere quickly went backwards, but the outcome of the race would go to the closers. Just as Maxzeno challenged Amaysmount, Admiral Nelson had travelled well into the race and despite drifting left, he kept forward momentum to take up the lead. Plink would also make up a lot of ground and challenge the new leader but it would be a quickfire double for Cam Hardie onboard Admiral Nelson landing the spoils. Maxzeno finished a distant third and held off the fast finishing Miss Britain.

The winner Admiral Nelson has endured quite the fall from grace. Trained as a two-year-old by Aidan O'Brien, he is bred to be high class as a son of Kingman and the talented juvenile Shamandar. After winning on his debut, Admiral Nelson was spoken of a Guineas prospect and was sent off favourite in the 2020 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot but only finished eighth. Failing to win again for the next two seasons, he departed Ballydoyle and joined the John Levins stable. Again, he would struggle to find any notable form for the majority of his time there but popped up in a handicap back in May on the turf. Yet more disappointment followed and he joined the Peter Niven yard who are renowned for their training skills, with Clever Cookie and Malaystic as good examples. It was nice to see Admiral Nelson win for only the third time in his life and he will have a mountain to climb to get back to the level he once raced at, but it is always heartwarming to see forgotten names return to the spotlight.  

Race Eight: The BetUK, It's Where The UK Bets Handicap - Class Four - 6 Furlongs - Runners: 11

Winner: SOLRAY (#9) (New Bay x Lait Au Chocolat) - C. Sheppard - J. Chapple-Hyam.

Another full allocation of runners took to the start in this intriguing class four handicap which had plenty of highly capable horses in the race card.

The weights were headed by the highly travelled Jump The Gun who landed a class three event here at huge odds on his penultimate start before disappointing connections with a lifeless run a week later. Regular course winner Pockley landed this race in impressive style last year and returned to defend his crown. In recent times though, a few quirks have appeared in his make up and even refused to race in a recent outing. The tough three-year-old Dickieburd has seen an upturn in form since running on the all-weather and was a winner here back in November. Illusionist and Venturous have both won valuable handicaps at class two level since the turn of the decade and had dropped down to this level. The very lightly raced Solray won for the first time on this course on his penultimate start and did so with ease. He then ran well in the circumstances last time out. The grey Secret Guest has raced in some classy contests over the past two seasons and is developing into a useful sort. Clipsham La Habana signed off 2022 with a brace of wins and with a little bit of luck, could have added more wins to his tally this season. The four year old Haziym was evidently well regarded when trained in France and moved to the Tony Carroll stable earlier this year. He arrives in this race off the back of a narrow defeat in an identical race to this one. Installation had looked promising as a juvenile last season but his form dipped this year. He would make his all-weather debut for new owners, the Richard Fahey Racing Club. 

As the gates opened, Jump The Gun and Pockley showed their customary slow getaway and were held up in the group as the grey Haziym ploughed a lone furrow along the stands side railing. The overall lead of the race would change a few times in the opening stages as horse and riders settled into their stride. Dickieburd was soon disposed as leader by Haziym with Illusionist and Al Ameen also racing close up. The experimental tactics of Tom Eaves on Haziym soon wore off as the solo runner was passed by the main group with Dickieburd also weakening out of the equation. It would be another Newmarket winning outcome as the Jane Chapple-Hyam stable defeated their cross-town counterparts, the stable of Kevin Phillipart de Foy. The lightly raced Solray had raced away from the main action on the far flank of the chasing group but moved up into contention at the final furlong pole. He would come clear with fellow three-year-old Clipsham La Habana and win at Newcastle for the second time in recent months. The locally trained Illusionist ran another good race in defeat by taking third and Jump The Gun made strong headway into fourth.

It would be a second winner for the Jane Chapple-Hyam stable and good reward for their travelling up north. The son of New Bay had only four starts under his belt going into this race and finished fifth on his first attempt against older horses last time out. The well backed favourite was better away from the gates time and the unexposed colt returned a nice winner, with plenty of progress to be found. The win also capped a whirlwind trip for jockey Callum Shepherd who had ridden a winner in Bahrain on Friday before returning to the winners' enclosure in Britain the next day, a fascinating insight of a jockey's life. 

Race Nine: The Always Bet Responsible With BetUK Handicap - Class Six - 6 Furlongs - Runners: 12

Winner: RORY (#12) (Orientor x Eternal Instinct) - M. Winn - J. Goldie

The finale of this mammoth nine race meeting saw a return to the lower echelons with another class six race to round out proceedings. The race featured many regulars to Newcastle as they all aimed to add yet more Gosforth Park success to their career record. 

Stable legend Athollblair Boy has a total of ten wins at Newcastle for the Nigel Tinkler yard and still retains his enthusiasm for the sport even as he heads towards his eleventh birthday. Noteable was a winner at Newcastle back in October but has since struggled in slightly better company on her two most recent starts. The locally trained Rainbow Rain arrived with the best recent form on display with two wins and a handful of good runs in defeat. The experience group of Lezardieux, The Princes Poet and Rory all have a plethora of race starts combined and lined up for this six furlong sprint. On the other end of the scale, the lightly raced Dercol, Pride of Spain and Warminster had all yet to win and their connections will have hoped for more than what they have shown on track so far. Carlton And Co has finished on the heels of placed horses on his last two starts while Holbache and Ignac Lamar completed the list of runners and riders. 

The experienced The Princes Poet made a surprising error by rearing up badly and was detached in the opening exchanges of the race. Holbache had gone to the start very early by himself but despite this, still wasn't the best away from his gate. Pride Of Spain held the outright lead after a furlong until Holbache settled into his groove and made it a duel for the early lead. The chasing pack saw the likes of Athollblair Boy, Warminster and Rainbow Rain all at the head of affairs with Rory, Noteable and Carlton And Co at the rear with the slow starting The Princes Poet playing catch up. Pride Of Spain wrestled the lead back approaching the final furlong but the race began to heat with many horses laying their claim. Katie Scott's three-year-old Warminster nosed into the overall lead and looked set for a first career win but from the rear of the group, Rory had travelled well and was the last to challenge under jockey Mark Winn. The five year old chestnut showed a good finishing kick to overhaul the leader and land the spoils by just under a length. Warminster would be yet another runner up for his stable with Ignac Lamar finishing strongly into third ahead of Rainbow Rain.

It would be a fifth career win for Rory, a homebred gelding for Jim Goldie who has trained twenty seven winners from the offspring of Eternal Instinct, including Sounds Of Iona and Oriental Lilly. Rory has raced over numerous distances from five furlongs to a mile and conditions were just right for him here.