'It’s been a little bit slow to come this year' - Simon Whitaker enjoys welcome win with Miss Willows

Miss Willows provided trainer Simon Whitaker with his first winner since April when landing the opening 7f apprentice handicap.

The closest the five-year-old had been to getting her head in front in 12 previous starts was when she finished second over course and distance on soft ground in May, and a return to those conditions yielded a breakthrough success under Ben Sanderson.

“She loves a bit of cut in the ground,” said Whitaker. “She didn’t have a lot of luck in running the last time she ran and I told Ben today to just sit where you’re happy.”

It was just a second winner of the season for Sanderson and Whitaker, who added: “We’ve been knocking on the door recently – it’s been a little bit slow to come this year with a wet spring and everything. Everyone’s been really patient.

“The owners, David Brown and Chris Peacock, are local people and this is their first winner so that’s brilliant.”

Street strikes

J Street was unlucky to bump into Unspoken Love – subsequent winner of a £40,000 contest – in selling company at Musselburgh last time, but Craig Lidster’s juvenile made amends for that neck defeat in the 5f fillies’ maiden.

The daughter of Washington DC justified 5-2 favouritism under Shane Gray to get off the mark at the fourth attempt.

Lidster and Gray were denied a double when Stat Goddess chased home Wondrous Ways in the following 5f nursery.

Awesome Achnamara

Trainer Phil Kirby enjoyed a one-two in the 2m handicap when 12-1 shot Achnamara got the better of his shorter-priced stablemate and 5-2 favourite Lord Torranaga.

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