Tearful Osborne delivers with Milk

Former jump jockey Jamie Osborne gained the biggest victory of his four-year training career as Milk It Mick caused a 33-1 upset in the Group One Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket today.

The Lambourn handler was in tears after Darryll Holland hit the front inside the final furlong and held on to win the seven-furlong event by a head from 11-4 favourite Three Valleys.

Haafhd (7-1) was a further length and a quarter behind in third.

Milk It Mick, who was having his 12th run of the season, barely caused a ripple at the head of the ante-post 2000 Guineas market and was given a 16-1 quote by the Tote, William Hill and Paddy Power.

After Osborne had composed himself, he admitted: “I haven’t cried for years - not since I won the John Durkan Memorial race as a jockey at Ascot.

“Milk It Mick is absolutely the easiest horse to train – all he wants to do is please you. He is so genuine.

“This is a great day for the team. It is a fantastic result for us.

“The reason for his sudden improvement is basically down to tactics. He is out of a five-furlong mare (Lunar Music) and we decided to drop him out and get him relaxed.

“We thought we might get placed, but to win was fantastic.”

When told Milk It Mick was 16-1 for the Guineas, Osborne quipped: “Is that the Italian Guineas? We have not made any decision yet as to what he’ll do, but I have always thought of him as an Italian Guineas horse.

“We’ll see what happens – let’s see how he goes.”

Holland, who was booked at the 11th hour after Lucky Story, his intended mount, was ruled out of the race, was not sure he had won on the Millkom colt.

He admitted: “I just had my head down. When you’ve got Three Valleys at your girths, you just have to keep on pushing, and he picked up for me.”

Winning owner Paul Dixon said: “We bred Milk It Mick ourselves and unfortunately we lost the mare this year. We bought him back for 14,000gns.

“He just keeps improving. That’s his 12th run of the year and he’s just amazing.

“I’d have been very happy to finish in the first four and to actually win is a dream come true.

“They think the second horse is exceptional, so Mick must be even more exceptional!”

Roger Charlton was not downcast after Middle Park Stakes winner Three Valleys was beaten in a race which turned into a two-furlong sprint after a muddling early pace.

He said: “He looked like he was going to win and when he was headed, he ran on well again. It is not that he didn’t get the trip, the race just did not pan out as we hoped.”

Haafhd’s trainer Barry Hills reflected: “In hindsight we should have made more use of him. He will get a mile no problem.”

The big disappointment of the race was previously unbeaten Snow Ridge, who finished ninth.

Trainer Marcus Tregoning said: “He was a little bit inexperienced and he showed that when he hit the rising ground. They didn’t go a great gallop early on and that was also against us. I am not too disappointed.”

Aidan O’Brien’s One Cool Cat was subsequently cut to 7-4 from 2-1 favourite for the Guineas by Hills, who eased Three Valleys from 5-1 to 10-1.