RACING: Clive Cox opened his account for the new turf season on the Flat when Lago D'Orta took the feature race at Leicester yesterday, the seven-furlong Tote Placepot Stakes for three-year-olds.
The 11 to 1 shot confirmed the promise of his three placed runs as a two-year-old by stretching away from joint-favourites High Reach and Grand Passion to score cosily in the hands of Dane O'Neill.
"That's brilliant. I'm delighted for the owner Dennis Shaw as it's his first winner," said the trainer. "He's a really nice horse, very genuine, and hopefully will go on from here."
Cox added: "I'm very happy with the strength of the stable this year. My horses will improve for a run, but I'm very pleased with them."
Pat Eddery rode one of his masterful waiting-in-front races on John Dunlop's four-year-old filly Living Daylights to win the Greyhound Handicap over a mile and a half. The daughter of Night Shift had cut little ice in four outings last season, but looked an improved performer as she saw off the challenge of Summer Bounty, who came from a fair way back to throw down a challenge at the furlong pole.
Harry Dunlop, in his new role as his father's assistant at Arundel, said impending motherhood could have contributed to the improvement. "Hopefully she's in foal to Averti and she could continue to race until the beginning of July," he said.
Favourite backers got off to a good start in the opening Keythorpe Fillies Maiden over seven furlongs when Tease maintained Richard Hannon's good run by justifying solid market support.
The daughter of Green Desert looked set to score tidily when Ryan Moore pushed her into a clear advantage approaching the final furlong but in the end she scrambled home by a diminishing head and a short head from the fast-finishing pair Dust Goddess and Buthaina, trained by Ed and John Dunlop respectively.
Despite having to be led to the start, Mobo-Baco defied an eight-month absence from the racecourse to take the Billesden Selling Stakes under Steve Drowne. In the process the six-year-old gave West Country trainer Ron Hodges his first success on the level for a similar period of time.
South African Travis Block (17) rode his debut winner with a super-cool display on Andrew Balding's Tarawan in the Kingfisher Handicap, beating none other than the master tactician Eddery in the process.
The going remains good on all three courses at Aintree as watering continues ahead of next week's Martell Cognac Grand National meeting.
Tote Ireland in conjunction with the Tote in Britain will be able to bet into all major UK meetings starting tomorrow.
