Clean sweep for Roberts

MICHAEL ROBERTS completed his collection of victories on all 37 British Flat racecourses with a success at Carlisle yesterday.

Roberts, the British champion in 1992, realised a cherished ambition when Rainbow Rain won the Crowther Homes Carlisle Bell. "Its taken a long time but I'm delighted to have finally done it," said the South African-born jockey, whose first success in Britain came aboard Pakeha at Ayr on April 3rd 1978.

"I've been to Carlisle twice before but one horse was destroyed and another broke down."

Roberts, 11 times champion in his native land, knocked up 206 winners in the year he was the British champion.

The 43-year-old, who rode his 1,000th winner in Britain on Diskette at Brighton in 1994, is not employed so much in Britain nowadays.

The sky's the limit for Snow Kid following the colt's demolition job over his rivals for the Margadale Conditions Stakes at soggy Salisbury.

Stepping up from his Wolverhampton winning debut, the Pat Eddery-partnered three-year-old hacked up by seven lengths from the toiling Peppiatt after making virtually all the running.

Rainwatch defied top weight in the Gibbs Mew Bibury Cup Handicap to provide Eddery with a double. The son of Rainbow Quest set out to make all the running but had to dig deep to defy challengers before galloping seven lengths away from Heart of Armor.

Eddery went on to complete a 56 to 1 treble when forcing White Emir's head to the front in the closing stages of the Alderholt Sprint Handicap for a neck call over Pointer.