'We all thought 8-1 last night was a bit skinny' - gamble landed for Nick Alexander at Ayr

A significant gamble landed in the opening 2m5½f conditional jockeys' novice handicap hurdle as the well-backed Boolamore Classic got off the mark at the seventh attempt.

The six-year-old, who was available at 8-1 in places overnight, received plenty of support before the race and was eventually sent off as the 5-2 favourite in the seven-runner contest.

Owned by a partnership that includes racing broadcaster Cornelius Lysaght, Boolamore Classic held off the challenge from Reagrove Lord to score by half a length under Bruce Lynn.

Although Boolamore Classic justified favouritism, trainer Nick Alexander was surprised to see his gelding come in for support before the race having failed to finish better than fourth in six previous outings.

Speaking to Racing TV, he said: "I watched that [gamble] happen and couldn't really work out where it was coming from. We all thought 8-1 last night was a bit skinny. He didn't run badly at Hexham two starts ago, but we then ran him over fences and he didn't run well. 

"He's run much better and the visor must have made the difference. The penny has been slow to drop for him mentally. He was second in a point-to-point in Ireland, but we hadn't seen anything from him."

The victory was the first part of a double for Alexander and Lynn, who later scored with 11-8 favourite Travail D'Orfevre in the 3m handicap chase. It was a fourth career win for the grey, who has now finished in the first three in each of his last 13 outings.

Orbys on top

Orbys River was a shock 22-1 winner of the 2m½f handicap chase for trainer Sam Allwood. Ridden by William Maggs, he defeated 5-4 favourite Tommy Combats by eight and a half lengths to win for the first time in ten starts.

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