Dwyer racks up half century
Dwyer, who was riding the colt for his father-in-law Willie Muir, came late to grab long-time leader Laconicos but he quickly eased away by four lengths to justify his odds of 7-2 favourite.
The jockey has more or less given up on equalling last year’s tally of 82 winners, but he is still hoping to register a few more victories this year.
He explained: “Both my main stables of Andrew Balding and Marcus Tregoning have been largely out of form until recently and I have to be realistic.
“The pleasing thing is their horses are beginning to pick up and if I keep my head down and work hard, I could finish with a flourish.
“It gets harder from now on, but with a bit of luck I might manage 75 winners.”
Those who latched onto the gamble behind Half Pint Bill in the blueskyracing.co.uk Selling Stakes were rewarded when Bill Turner’s gelding scored at 13-2, having opened at 12-1.
Colin Haddon gave him a super-confident ride but in the end the combination had only a neck to spare over Enchanting Times.
Half Pint Bill is named after the late Bill Carter, a farmer who owner Jeremy Gompertz met in a pub in Wiltshire.
Gompertz explained: “Bill was a great character who was famous for doing the run up the Chalk Valley, which entails having a drink in every pub along the way.
“I met him in the Seymour Arms and the interesting thing about him was that he always drank in halves but downed plenty of them!”
Perhaps the nicest horse on view was Roger Charlton’s Sea Wall, who justified 11-4 favouritism in the Joe Wynne Memorial Handicap.
He put in a good performance to hold Pagan Sword by two and a half lengths under Steve Drowne.
Charlton’s assistant, Tom Grantham, said: “He’s still a bit green but he will keep on improving and he would appreciate a longer trip.
“He will probably remain in training next year.”
Apprentice Saleem Golam is making a decent name for himself and he was seen to good advantage when partnering the Rae Guest-trained Kensington to success in the redcliffehomes.co.uk Claiming Stakes.
This contest looked in the pocket of top weight Full Spate until that rival was hampered at a crucial stage, allowing 20-1 shot Kensington to slip through inside the final furlong and score by a length.
