Bookmakers have field day

BOOKMAKERS were saved an estimated payout of more than £1 million yesterday as 66 to 1 chance Moscow Mist lifted the Schweppes Golden Mile to increase the gloom for punters at Goodwood.

After a series of bewildering results backers were looking to the £75,000 handicap to get them out of trouble. But their bank balances were put further into the red as the maiden Moscow Mist held on by a short head from the heavily backed 9 to 4 favourite Missile.

Prince Babar was three parts of a length away in third with the winner's stablemate Green Green Desert fourth. Ladbrokes spokesman Mike Dillon could not hide his delight "This will be one of the results of the season for us. As soon as the horse swept past the post everyone said what's that.

Moscow Mist's trainer, Lady Herries, who also saddled Green Green Desert and Serious, was registering her first victory since Tykeyvor at Royal Acot. "I didn't even want to run him here. I thought he would be balloted out as he was out of the handicap," she said.

"I was going to run him on Tuesday but the owner was coming racing on Thursday and wanted to go for this race. I couldn't believe it when he got into the race yesterday.

"This victory is great for our jockey Declan O'Shea. He joined us at the beginning of the season from John Oxx. He's very light but if the horse is good enough he's good enough."

Confident Brian Meehan predicted in the trade papers that his colt Easycall would "definitely win" the Richmond Stakes and how right he was. The 7 to 2 chance stretched his unbeaten record to three as he stormed away at the furlong pole to defeat the the Con Collins trained favourite Raphane by three lengths.

The Garrard Goodwood Cup served up a classic head to head as Grey Shot denied Lear White for the Group Two spoils. The victory returned one of Goodwood's most successful owners to the winner's enclosure in Jeff Smith, whose sprint star Lochsong won three times at the track between 1992 and 1994.

Smith also ran the favourite Persian Punch, who finished third, but it was his 3 to 1 chance Grey Shot who maintained his record at the track under a brilliant front running ride from Pat Eddery.