Sport

Dobbin to return to the saddle on Friday

TONY DOBBIN is back in action on Friday determined to end his best season in style

Wed Apr 30 1997 - 01:00

TONY DOBBIN is back in action on Friday determined to end his best season in style. He will return at either Sedgefield or Bangor, having been on the sidelines since breaking a collarbone at Hexham seven days after his Grand National victory aboard Lord Gyllene.

As well as his first Grand National triumph, Dobbin has passed his previous personal best of 67 achieved last season. His tally now stands at 73 and he is hoping to increase that further before the season ends on May 31st.

Dobbin has been booked to ride Tom Brodie in the valuable Crowther Homes Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock Park on Saturday. He will be in action on the Flat at Hamilton Park on Sunday where he will join Peter Niven and other leading jump jockeys in the opening race at 2.20 which is confined to National Hunt pilots.

Meanwhile, Richard Hughes received a five-day ban (May 8th-12th) from the Nottingham stewards yesterday after being found in breach of the Jockey Club's whip rules.

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. Pat Eddery kept his followers smiling when he had a 52 to 1 treble aboard Maid of Camelot, Bold Oriental and Intiaash at Bath yesterday.

Maid of Camelot set the ball rolling for the champion only having to be pushed out to land the Blathwayt Maiden Stakes by three quarters of a length from Natural Eight.

Eddery was at his stylish best on Bold Oriental in the Racing Channel Handicap delivering the Neville Callaghan-trained three-year-old with a winning run a furlong out before scoring comfortably from Krosno.

Intiaash, winning for the first time since taking a claimer at Wolverhampton almost a year ago, hit the front inside the distance to net the Bristol Rovers Handicap.

Eddery fans obviously had high hopes of a four-timer as Whisky Mack was backed to the exclusion of his rivals, being sent off a 6 to 5 favourite on his debut in the Pensford Maiden Stakes.

But the Richard Han non-trained juvenile had no answer to the late dash of outsider Ballet Rambert and even missed out on the runner-up spot to Cloudberry close home.

. Crack miler, Spinning World, the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Prix Jacques le Marois winner, reappears in the Group Two Prix du Muguet (1m) tomorrow.

Spinning World signed off his 1996 campaign with an excellent second in the Breeders' Cup Mile. He will be giving from 3lb to 6lb in the Saint-Cloud test. The topweight's rivals are Accento, Grey Risk, Nero Zilzal, Simon du Desert, Nec Plus Ultra and Devil River Peak.