King slips but takes Novices Chase win

Fresh from saddling Blue Bajan into the runner-up position in the Yorkshire Cup last week, the Nawton handler proved his versatility when collecting the prize for the Life & Style Novices’ Chase.

His eight-year-old had competed on the level since he was last seen in the National Hunt arena, with some success in a Redcar handicap last month, but he was allowed to go off the 7-2 third-favourite in a field of five.

However, he travelled like much the best horse for the majority of the two-mile contest and appeared to have matters sewn up when Denis O’Regan sent him to the front approaching the last.

He got the obstacle all wrong, though, and his nose hit the turf on landing, but O’Regan kept his composure and allowed him to find his feet before holding the renewed challenge of Montoya’s Son by a length-and-a-half.

Champion jockey AP McCoy pushed Royal Max into an easy lead in the kellyewing.com Best Dressed Lady Handicap, and the pair never looked back as they sauntered to a wide-margin win.

McCoy gave Ian Williams’s charge a breather on the turn for home before kicking clear again, and leaving his rivals floundering.

Weetfromthechaff plugged on for second, but was no match for the 11-4 favourite, who was 12 lengths clear at the line.

McCoy had less luck in the ‘Hatmakers Of The North’ Handicap Chase as, despite all his talents, he could not get Breaking Silence on terms with Loutin Du Moulin.

Chris Grant’s 8-1 chance followed up a C&D hunter chase win with an impressive jumping display here under Lucy Horner, landing the spoils by six lengths.

McCoy again had to settle for second in the concluding Party In The Paddock On 2nd June Mares’ Maiden Hurdle as his mount Jaya Bella did not find as much as Glorybe (7-2), who scampered clear after the last to score under Tom Messenger.

Danny John Boy got Ladies’ Day off to a flyer for the bookmakers when springing a 50-1 shock in the opening totepool Lady Riders’ Handicap Hurdle.

The lightly-raced eight-year-old had shown precious little in three runs over timber last year, and was pulled up when reportedly breaking a blood vessel on his chasing debut at Southwell.

But, obviously recovered from that experience, he relished the return to the smaller obstacles to account for market leader Winter Alchemy by a length and three-quarters.

Pam Sly and Gina Andrews endured a day to forget, with two costly reverses.

The pair teamed up with Bedizen, who was sent off the red-hot 4-7 favourite for the Yorkshire Post Magazine Selling Hurdle.

The writing was on the wall before the last, though, as the Tim Vaughan-trained Rushwee (13-2) careered away for a length-and-a-half verdict, with Bedizen out of the frame.

Sly’s Chicklemix was expected to supplement a Fakenham handicap success in the Britain’s Best Deals At JCT600.co.uk Novices’ Hurdle, but Andrews was hard at work on the 1-2 favourite shortly after straightening up, and he could not get close to Chris Grant’s 13-5 scorer Milano Supremo, eventually finishing third.

Henry Cecil’s Midsummer Sum rewarded odds-on backers with a ready victory in division one of the Football Pools Maiden under Tom Queally.

The three-year-old has plenty to live up to as a half-brother to the yard’s multiple Group One-winning mare Midday, but a debut fifth at Newmarket was nonetheless full of promise.

The 2-5 favourite showed the benefit of that initial experience in what looked a lesser heat on paper, travelling well to the one-furlong marker and kicking clear late on to score by six lengths from Lady Amakhala.

Queally said: “He’s still learning. He probably didn’t beat a lot, but he did it nicely.”

Cecil and Queally went on to complete a short-priced double in division two, but it proved to be hard work for 2-13 market-leader Solar Sky.

The chestnut looked to face a straightforward task off the back of a debut second to his highly-regarded stable companion World Domination, but those who took the skinny odds would have been sweating with two furlongs to go.

Sunday Bess appeared to have Solar Sky’s measure heading towards the one-furlong pole but she veered sharply to her right soon after.

Cecil’s inmate responded to Queally’s strong urgings to get up by two and a quarter lengths.

Trevor Harris, owner-breeder of Solar Sky, said: “That was satisfactory, he’s still a baby.

“He’s in the King Edward VII but Henry has World Domination in there so we will have a chat and see.”