Barkston Ash edges to Warwick feature win

The £10,000 Aarca Sales Recruitment 10-Year Anniversary Handicap was restricted to three-year-olds only rated 61-80. With only five pounds separating the top and bottom weights in the nine-runner field, not surprisingly, it resulted in a close finish.

Barkston Ash had beaten To The Edge over the course in May and, despite the runner-up having improved with a recent win at Pontefract, it was Eric Alston’s charge who came out on top again. Well ridden by Duran Fentiman, Barkston Ash edged out top-weight Restless Bay by three-quarters of a length, with To The Edge a neck back in third.

In the absence of Sole Danser, 12 went to post in the opener, the Nick Bill Memorial Fund Maiden Stakes over seven furlongs and Moone’s My Name was a red-hot 5-4 chance to open her account at the fourth time of asking.

Ralph Beckett’s filly had been beaten a short head by Quadrant at Newbury before finishing third to Emilio Largo when odds-on at Salisbury last time out, but she made no mistake here, winning comfortably from Escape To Glory, who had led the field into the home straight.

The trip was again seven furlongs in the second, the Join Today At rewards4racing.com Novice Auction Stakes, and Percy Jackson, a winner first time out at Bath, but beaten at Chepstow on his latest outing, was sent off the 5-2 favourite to get back on the winning trail. His supporters never had an anxious moment as apprentice John Fahy sent the son of Derby winner Sir Percy to the front over a furlong out, to come home eight lengths clear of Snowed In.

Promising apprentice Kieran O’Neill made it a hat-trick of wins for favourite backers in the third when Urban Kode, who had finished fourth at Chepstow just two days before, beat Newby Lodge and Enriching.

There was only a short head between the first two in the longest race of the day, the C3 Midlands Design And Print Solutions Handicap, with 12-1 shot Lastroseofsummer just holding on from Mokalif.

In the finale for apprentices, there was another winning outsider, with Lucky Diva and Jake Payne scoring a 16-1 success at the expense of the favourite Naledi.