Easterby happy with Cross to bear

MICK Easterby does not often admit he is wrong but he has had to review his opinion of Ancient Cross after his victory in the Deloitte Gosforth Park Cup at Newcastle last night.

Easterby had been campaigning the seven-year-old over seven furlongs, and had even attempted to stretch his stamina to a mile and a quarter, but it is over the minimum trip Ancient Cross is at his best.

He showed his hand over five furlongs when winning at the Dante meeting at York in May, and he was running in the feature race on the second night of the Northumberland Plate meeting off a 6lb higher mark.