'Mum was screaming down the phone' - trainer Alex French celebrates first winner

Young trainer Alex French saddled his first winner on Saturday evening when 9-4 favourite Out Of Sight landed the 1m2f handicap at Lingfield.

French, who took out his licence in December, drove the horsebox, led the gelding up himself and was delighted to get off the mark.

"It’s been going quite steady up until today," he said. "They’ve been running well without winning so we’re pleased we’re on the board. It takes a bit of weight off your shoulders really."

Out Of Sight had been French’s first runner at the track in January so it was only fitting the three-year-old was the one to secure the first win, which also had an added family feel to it.

French said: "My mum owns him and actually bred him as well, which was really nice. I rang her after and she was screaming down the phone absolutely over the moon. My dad was a bit more relaxed about it."

The Newmarket-based 26-year-old rents boxes at William Jarvis’s Phantom House Stables and it has been a memorable few days for the yard after Lady Bowthorpe’s success at Glorious Goodwood in the Nassau Stakes on Wednesday.

French added: "There must be something in the air. He gets a Group 1 winner and we have our first winner. We’ve got some big names around us, Marco Botti over the road, Hugo Palmer, Ed Dunlop and Tom Clover.

"We’ve not got a huge number of horses. I’ve got two people full-time and myself, and that’s it really."

French is well equipped to deal with the challenges of training after a thorough preparation which includes a spell in Australia at Arrowfield Stud before learning his trade as pupil assistant to David Simcock and more recently as assistant to fellow Newmarket trainer Amy Murphy.

His next runner will come at Ripon on Monday when Sea The Girl tackles the 1m4f novice stakes (4.45).

Read reports from Saturday's racing:

Celebrations all round as Good Birthday completes 131-1 treble for Jason Watson

Local success as Save A Forest lands Listed Chalice Stakes for the Gredleys

Up 23lb and he bolts in - Mr Wagyu defies the handicapper once again

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