Gatwick flies to Silver triumph

Mick Channon’s decision to run Gatwick again only four days after he landed a gamble at Goodwood paid off in dramatic fashion at Haydock.

Burdened with an 8lb penalty, the three-year-old gave apprentice Sam Hitchcott his biggest success in the £90,000 (€134,100) totesport Silver Bowl.

Gatwick’s hopes looked bleak approaching the final quarter mile, but Hitchcott managed to find daylight in the nick of time.

The 3lb apprentice produced the colt with a strong late burst to catch his stable companion Makfool (40-1) inside the final furlong and win going away by one and three quarter lengths.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, whose team defeated Millwall in yesterday’s FA Cup Final, is a member of the syndicate that owns Gatwick (11-2).

Hitchcott said: “I thought I had no chance two furlongs out, everywhere I went we met a dead end.

“But once I got a run I knew he would win, but you have got to wind him up rather than expect him to quicken, and he will be better really over a mile and a quarter, he is a good horse.”

Hitchcott went on: “I have had a quiet start to the season, but Mr Channon’s horses have started to come to themselves now and I hope things continue like this tomorrow because I think Majestic Desert has a great chance in the Irish 1,000 Guineas. She is in great form.”

“I’m delighted with Gatwick, he did not nice. Makfool ran well too. Obviously Gatwick had to run today as he’ll never be off that mark again,” Channon told BBC Sport from Ascot.

“He got in a bit of trouble and still managed to win.

“I thought the draw (17) was against him. You could see where he was just after he jumped out, he was nearly last.

“To be fair to Sam I left it to him. He came round the inner and then he needed a bit of luck and it went his way.”

Kevin Darley was out of luck on the favourite Zonus who did not have the best of draws, and had only one behind him turning for home (though the winner was only just in front of him).

It was all too late when he got clear and though to ran on to finish third he was never going to get to the first two.

However Darley had earlier completed a 20-1 double on the David Barron-trained Raccoon (5-1), visored for the first time in the Option Hygiene Handicap, and Barry Hills’s Moss Vale (5-2) in the Listed Dave Jones For Mortgages Stakes.

Barron was ending a quiet spell for his stable and son Tim said: “We have had a bit of a lean spell (42 days), but they have started to come back to themselves now.”

“Raccoon looked a good horse when he was a two-year-old but then he went wrong on us, but he seems to have come back now and he is one of five horses we have for Mr Savill.”

Apprentice Nicky Mackay was suspended for two days (June 2 and 3) for using his whip from above shoulder height on third-placed Seafield Towers.

Moss Vale went to the front after a couple of furlongs, and looking firmly in command with a quarter of a mile to race, he kept up the gallop to the line to score by three lengths from Boogie Street.

Hills was represented by his son Charlie, who said: “This was a nice race or a three-year-old and he has definitely improved from Chester, and hopefully he will go on to better things.

“There is nothing for him at Royal Ascot, but he is in the July Cup, though we might aim him a bit lower than that – we will treat him like a good horse this season, and next year he could go on. Sprinters do get better with age.”

Alan Bailey matched Channon’s one-two when Sapphire Dream (10-11) and ridden by Robert Winston beat her stablemate Mytton’s Bell (33-1) by one-and-three-quarter lengths in the EBF Bollin Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

Sapphire Dream carries the colours of Haydock clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright’s uncle Peter, and she is now due for a step up in class.

Said Bailey: “She is a very good filly, and we will have a look and she could possibly go for the Hilary Needler (Listed race) at Beverley.”

Ted Durcan was just out of luck on Makfool, runner-up in the feature race, but he went one better on Luca Cumani’s Pongee (3-1) in the Listed EBF Joan Westwood Pinnacle Stakes.

Cumani was represented by his wife Sara who said: “Pongee is home bred and we will try for some black type now. She is closely related to Pukka who is still in the Derby.”

Martin Dwyer was suspended for one day (June 2) for using his whip from above shoulder height and down the shoulder in the forearm position on Idealistic, runner-up to the Henry Cecil-trained, Willie-Ryan ridden Nunki in the MTB Group Maiden Stakes.

Apprentice David Allan won the concluding Mary Page Birthday Handicap on Eric Alston’s Nakwa, the 7-2 favourite.