No fairytale start for Swinburn

Walter Swinburn was unable to get his training career off to a winning start when his first-ever runner, Lottie Dundass, could finish only fourth at Southwell today.

The filly, ridden by Dane O’Neill, shared the early lead with Fasylitator and Dane’s Rock but could not quicken in the final two furlongs.

The Jamie Osborne-trained Fasylitator, the 3-1 favourite, went on to take the Bet Direct At Southwell Nursery division one by a length and a quarter from Spill A Little, with Sonntag Blue a neck away third.

Swinburn has taken over the reins from his father-in-law Peter Harris at Tring in Hertfordshire after serving as his assistant.

Harris signed off with a winner, Maggie Tulliver, at Wolverhampton last Friday.

Swinburn shot to fame as a jockey when he won the Derby in 1981 at the age of 19 on Shergar.

He went on to win the premier Classic twice more on Shahrastani and Lammtarra in a highly-successful career before hanging up his riding boots six years ago after suffering from weight problems.

“I’ve got a tremendous team at home and I’ve been very lucky,” Swinburn told At The Races before sending Lottie Dundass out as his only runner at the track.