PAUL FITZSIMONS (17) got his racing career off to a flying start when he won on his first ever ride in public. Fitzsimons, from Naas, Co Kildare, led a quarter of a mile from home on Summerville Wood (5 to 1) in the Levy Board Apprentices' Handicap to beat Scathesbury by half a length.

The claimer went to the apprentice racing school and then joined John Mulhern before coming over here to Reg Akehurst's Epsom stable. He also rides out for Peter Mooney, Summerville Wood's handler, who said: "He is a nice lad who does what you tell him and rides well."

Fitzsimons added, "Mr Akehurst said he thought I was ready to take my chance as it was a straight six furlongs and I couldn't get into too much trouble."

Epsom trainer Simon Dow brought a three month winner drought to an end at Folkestone yesterday with a 35 to 1 double through Coh Sho No and Premier Night, both ridden by Richard Quinn.

But things did not go too well when the first of the pair went to post for the Gravesend Handicap and lost Quinn on the way. Reunited, however, the pair took it up approaching the final furlong to score by a length and a half from Soojama, the favourite.

Dow said: "That is the first since the middle of January but to be fair we have not run all that many horses.

"We only had five horses for the sand and three of them won and we haven't got many jumpers. Then we went down for the Cagnes Sur Mer season but came back with just a second."

Premier Night led two furlongs out in the Dartford Maiden to beat Mardi Gras, the evens favourite, by two lengths Dow added: "I was all for waiting for the rain with this one but Don Churston, her owner, pointed out that she had performed well on ground like today's before.