Mayson proves one in a million as Fahey upsets odds to land prestigious July Cup

The Malton handler, whose 22 runners at five meetings on Saturday yielded four winners, had hoped that Area Fifty One could deliver his yard a fourth John Smith’s Cup, but the well-backed four-year-old could only finish fifth in York’s feature.

However, it was only a temporary blip on a momentous day, with 20-1 outsider Mayson – and dual champion jockey Paul Hanagan – sluicing through the Newmarket mud to win the prestigious Darley July Cup after a downpour rendered the soggy form book redundant.

Despite Fahey describing Mayson’s odds as “an insult”, the symbolism of this success revealed the great unpredictability of horse racing. Mayson, a sprinter of great potential, had to be hand-reared by his owners after his dam, Mayleaf, died while giving birth.

The colt is used to adversity – a leg became trapped in the starting stalls at York in May and then he failed to handle the almost waterlogged ground at Newcastle on his last outing.

As for Hanagan, the victory came exactly two weeks after he was stretchered off Newmarket’s July course after a sickening fall left him with bruising, and concerns about his back and neck.

It also completed a memorable week that saw notable wins on Alhebayeb and Ghurar for Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum, his new retained owner.

Yet Hanagan still retains strong links with the Fahey yard – their previous biggest success was in 2010 when Wootton Bassett won the Group One Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longhcamp.

However, both men were clearly relieved to land one of British racing’s most prestigious prizes after Hanagan opted to set the pace, knowing it would be very difficult for his pursuers to pass such a gutsy horse. “It’s typical of this game, the ups and downs, so it’s been an amazing couple of weeks,” said the jockey, who showed uncharacteristic emotion after his five-length victory over The Cheka, with Society Rock third and Australia’s Ortensia fourth. “It’s a big weight off my shoulders. Being the champion jockey, you really need to be winning top-class races like this. It’s such a good buzz.”

Fahey said: “It’s fantastic for me and Paul. They don’t realise he’s still my No 1 and we borrow him from time to time!”

Last night, the trainer named the prestigious Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc day – won so memorably last October by Thirsk trainer Bryan Smart’s gutsy Tangerine Trees – as the most likely target for Mayson. Though the sprinter still holds entries at Haydock and in York’s Nunthorpe, Fahey added: “They are targets, but we’ll definitely go to Longchamp at the end of the season. That’s a target we want to go to.”

Ironically, it was a Newmarket trainer, Peter Chapple-Hyam who persuaded owner Paul Hancock to run, and then win, the John Smith’s Cup with the unheralded King’s Warrior in front of a packed 40,000-plus crowd.

The five-year-old had been booked for Friday’s Tattersalls Sales before a phone call from Chapple-Hyam – trainer of 1992 Epsom Derby winner Dr Devious – persuaded Hancock to withdraw his charge and, instead, let him line up in the 53rd running of this £150,000 handicap, Flat racing’s most enduring sponsorship.

It paid dividends for the self-employed corporate financier from Brighton as his 33-1 shot – the longest price winner in the race’s illustrious history – blew away the opposition in the hands of Robert Havlin, beating Mid Mon Lady by four-and-a-half lengths. Media Hype was third for Middleham trainer Elaine Burke, the best of the local runners.

“We had him in the Tattersalls Sales on Friday night with the intention of selling him, but Peter rang me on Tuesday and said we can’t sell him because the horse was working too well and jumping out of his skin,” explained Hancock. “When the trainer says that, it’s all you want to hear. I think it would be mean to get rid of him now.”

The race’s hard luck story was Roger Varian’s Mijhaar – the 7-2 favourite was almost brought down after clipping heels with the weakening Fair Trade. Though none the worse, Varian said: “Even though Neil (Callan) coasted him home once his chance had gone, it can knock a horse’s confidence when they have a scare like that.”

Meanwhile, a dream came true for the Ebor Racing Club as Anderiego gave them their first York winner when landing the John Smith’s Racing Handicap.

The 10-strong syndicate celebrated their fairytale success after Kieren Fallon brought the 13-2 shot with a smooth run near the stands rail to score.

“This horse is owned by a syndicate of local people, so I’m very happy to have a winner here for them,” said O’Meara, who trains at Nawton near York.

Syndicate founder Andy Franks said: “We set up the syndicate purely to win a race at York. Personally, I’ve been waiting to have a winner here for 30 years and this is a dream.”

Fallon, the six-times champion jockey, completed a quick 44-1 double when Mount Athos (5-1) defied top weight in the John Smith’s Silver Cup.

The Luca Cumani-trained horse produced a telling burst of speed over a furlong out and next month’s Betfred Ebor remains a logical target.