Guy Harwood and Khaled Abdulla's highly-successful season continued at York yesterday when Primary gave the Sussex trainer his second victory in the past three years in the Tote-Ebor Handicap. However, the loudest cheers of another action-packed afternoon were reserved for Willie Carson after the dynamic Scot had driven Wiganthorpe to a short head victory from Mansooj in the Scottish Equitable Gimcrack Stakes.
The narrowness of the winning margin surprised most of the onlookers and the wide grin on Carson's face showed his relief at the outcome. So, too, did the welcoming hollers from Mick Easterby demonstrate that the Yorkshire trainer had realized his life's ambition in capturing this historic trophy on his local track.
Easterby, a natural genius at his profession, has already won a 1,000 Guineas with Mrs McArdy and collected a sprinter's Triple Crown with Lochnager. However, he still said: 'This is the happiest moment of my life. My first runner in the Gimcrack and I've won it.'
Formerly having run in the Easterby family colours, Wiganthorpe yesterday carried the famous combination of blue, green and white belonging to Robert Sangster.
'I bought a half share on the course at 6 o'clock last night,' said the man who has been Britain's leading owner five times in the past nine years. 'He's a hard man to bargain with, but the deal was finally clinched over a lot of champagne. He then told me that it was a certainty, but his confidence had evaporated a bit this morning. I imagine at the Gimcrack dinner I'll have to be the straight man and Mick can provide the jokes.'
Last time out Wiganthorpe had finished a close fourth to Minstrella in Europe's richest two-year-old race, the Heinz 57 Phoenix Stakes.
'I thought he was a bit unlucky,' said the trainer. 'But he wore blinkers for the first time today and I think it has improved him 7lb. ' So, too, did this equipment have the same effect on Wiganthorpe's sire, Thatching.
Talking about his purchase, Sangster said: 'I reckoned that the Phoenix Park race was the best form seen to date. Mick can train him for the rest of the season but next year I want to race him in the States as I think he is an ideal type for their tracks.
'People are all talking about my bad season,' Sangster continued. 'But I've already had over 200 winners worldwide including 38 in the States.'
