TRAINER Alan Bailey, who landed a touch in the Chester Cup recently, pulled off another gamble at Musselburgh last night. The Tarporley trainer took the Chester feature with Silence in Court, and now it was the turn of Kolby in the Midlothian courses' selling race.
In an event dominated by horses dashing up the stand side, jockey Jimmy Fortune powered his mount home two lengths clear of Pallium. Kolby, reappearing after an absence of 319 days, was well supported from 3-1 to 9-4 and was the subject of a bet of #10,000 to #4000 and another of #9000 to #3000.
The race was the last time that racegoers in the stand could see the far side of the course as a thick sea mist rolled in from the Firth of Forth.
However, the heavy gambling did not stop with the seller, because Iona Wands, now attached to the stable of Jack Berry, landed the first race for her retainer when booting home Lunch Party, owned by Scottish businessman Stewart Aitken, and the subject of a bet of #9000 to win #36,000.
Earlier, Berry kept his supporters happy when landing the opener with Charlie Girl, sent off at the generous odds of 16-1.
Before racing started last night, Berry had returned a handsome profit of more than #61 to a level #1 stake in all his runners at Musselburgh over the past five years.
Gary Carter, the jockey on board Charlie Girl, completed a double an hour later on Cut Diamond in maiden.
The winner, a 20,000 guineas son of Keen, was one of the longest travelled horses of the night, having made the 376-mile journey from Compton in Berkshire.
Hasta La Vista gained the twelfth win of his career when appearing out of the mist inside the final furlong to win the Queen's Stand for Hospitality Handicap in the hand of the Australian rider, Terry Lucas.
q Dr Fong, fourth behind Saratoga Springs in the recent Dante Stakes at York, will miss the Epsom Derby.
Willie Carson, racing manager to The Thoroughbred Corporation, said: ''We will not have any runners in the Derby. Dr Fong will run in the Prix Jean Prat.''
The French race is a Group One contest over a mile and a furlong at Chantilly on May 31.
The Henry Cecil-trained Dr Fong had won his three starts prior to York but appeared at the limit of his stamina over the extended 10 furlongs of the Dante trip.
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