No jockey has earned a winning riding fee more deservedly this season than Thomas Greatrex, who had to push and shove the reluctant Lexington Knight throughout the ten-furlong handicap.
The seven-year-old ran lazily, and Greatrex was forced to ride for all his worth in the intensive heat as the Night of Thunder gelding trailed lengths behind Papagei, who entered the straight six lengths clear.
But his stride began to shorten at the distance, and Lexington Knight, who, under strong driving, began to make belated headway on the outside and cut down the pacemaker close home to win by half a length and record his tenth success.
Clive Cox is always a man to fear at the track with his juveniles and duly took both such races but in contrasting styles.
A Bit of Spirit, who beat a Godolphin hotpot in the dying stride on his Newbury debut, had a much easier time in the seven-furlong affair. Sent off a prohibitive odds of 4/11, Hector Crouch had the Palace Pier colt swiftly out of the stalls to grab the rail and lead at a steady pace.
Some racegoers having fun at Ladies’ Evening (Image: Francesca Altoft) McMurray, who had finished behind the favourite at Newbury, was the only horse to give him any sort of a race, but as he closed two furlongs out, Crouch pushed A Bit of Spirit clear to win unchallenged by three-and-three-quarter lengths.
Crouch and Cox then doubled up with the home-bred Aspull, who wore a hood on his debut. The race was expected to be a duel between Palio Di Siena and Silent Storm. The former, heavily supported in the market to be sent off the 7/4 favourite, led, while the seemingly unfancied Aspull, who swerved to his left at the start, was held in fifth place. Two furlongs out, however, Crouch brought him to challenge on the outside and took the lead inside the final furlong to run out a decisive two and a half lengths winner.
Lexington Knight’s trainer, Richard Hannon, also grabbed a double when Emily Rebecca thwarted Shabu Shabu to grab her second consecutive win by a neck.
Considering the small fields, punters – you would think – would have an easy time picking winners. Yet only one favourite obliged.