Nemo Spirit on form at York
Willie Muir had to send Nemo Spirit on a 400-mile round trip to find suitable ground but the journey paid off as he put up a brave front-running performance to win the £17,000 (€19,950) Blue Square Stakes under William Buick at York.
Buick clearly had no worries about the 8-1 chance getting the two miles and sent him to the front from the outset.
His supporters must have had their hearts in their mouths, however, when Hawk Mountain loomed up to challenge but Nemo Spirit is nothing if not game and kept on finding more to hold the challenger at bay by three-quarters of a length.
Muir's representative Jonathan Jannaway said: "William was in two minds about running him, but he likes this ground (good to soft) and that is why we came here rather than go to Royal Ascot on Tuesday.
"He does need to get his toe in and I walked the course this morning and thought it was nearly soft so we were happy about that and if the ground is suitable he could run in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle (in two weeks' time)."
John Quinn's two stable jockeys are suspended but he found a very able deputy in apprentice Frederik Tylicki who gave Prince Evelith (8-1) a fine ride to win the Blue Square Casino Stakes.
Tylicki produced his mount with a good run on the rails to strike the front two furlongs out and he burst clear to score by four and a half lengths from the top weight Admiral Dundas.
Quinn said: "He is going to take a hike now (in the ratings) so I am glad I have got him in at Ripon on Wednesday and he will run there under a penalty."
Tylicki completed a double in the concluding wewillbuyyourcar.com Apprentice Stakes on his guv'nor Richard Fahey's Joe Jo Star, who ran out a seven-length winner of the mile-and-a-half test.
Joe Jo Star (3-1) is owned by a syndicate of Timeform employees and their friends, and Simon Walker who heads the group said: "I was born near the course and it is great for the syndicate just to have had a horse good enough to run here, let alone win.
"Joe Jo Star has won six races for us and he may go back over hurdles now, either for a valuable race at Market Rasen or Galway."
David Nicholls has his team in good form and he wasted no time in adding to his score when Falasteen gained a convincing success in the hands of his son Adrian in the opening Acturis EBF Maiden Stakes
Trade Secret, who was having his fourth outing, was soon up there making the running and well though he stuck to his task, Falasteen, who was making his racecourse debut, collared him at the furlong marker and strode away to pass the post with three and a half lengths to spare.
Nicholls senior said: "He will be a nice horse one day but he is a bit of a mule in the stalls - we took him to Thirsk the other day but he would not go in.
"The way he finished he will nearly go six furlongs so we will see."
The Dean brothers, Tolley and Jack, both rode a winner and then they had to make the dash separately to Chepstow where both had booked rides in the final event at 9.15.
The former had the leg up on Anjomarba (11-2) who bolted up by eight lengths and completed a hat-trick in the process in the SKF Selling Stakes.
It had taken trainer Bill Turner five and a half hours to get to the course from his Somerset base and at least he was taking Anjomarba back home, although he had to go to 12,500gns to retain her at the ensuing auction.
He said: "I think she can win again for us, but she can't run in another seller - it has in fact cost us £1,700 (€1,995) to keep her so it is not as bad as it first looks."
Dean (Jack) teamed up with John Spearing's Equuleus Pictor to land the bluesquare.com Stakes, and the trainer said: "Soft ground is the key to this horse, he is a different horse with some cut. It is nice to have another winner here, York is a very lucky track for me."
