Roger Teal’s bay was ground to a halt en route to the track as the horsebox he was travelling in broke down, with Teal then required to rescue him in the yard’s second lorry to ensure he did not miss his date on the Knavesmire.
The six-hour trip clearly took no toll on the gelding, who joined forces with York local Joanna Mason as a 16-1 shot among a field of 18 vying for the winning prize pot of nearly £65,000.
His one-length victory proved the jockey booking to be a shrewd one as Mason pinged him out of the stalls and the pair never looked to be in trouble at any point thereafter.
“He was great, he won very nicely at Leicester the last day and he’d come forward in his work,” said Teal.
“We were quite bullish he’d run a big race here. He got a nice draw in the middle and that was Joanna’s first ride for me.
“When the weights first came out he had 8st 8lb and it was hard to find a rider, but Joanna is a good Yorkshire girl and she knows this track like the back of her hand.
“She’s a very good rider and it’s all worked perfectly.”
Reflecting on his mechanical drama Teal said: “This morning I had to get from the gallops back to the yard to pick up the second horsebox, and then race down and pick him up when the box he was on broke down.
“Luckily he didn’t fret, but he’s had six hours on the horsebox and he’s done that very well considering.”
Owners Rae and Carol Borras were in attendance to witness the victory, and the former quipped: “Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘all’s well that ends well?’”
