AT the Perth two-day meeting, Adrian Heskin celebrated his appointment as Tom George’s retained jockey by winning the Lord Mansfield Memorial Handicap Chase for the stable on 5/1 chance Kilbree Kid, who battled on to beat Nigel Twiston-Davies’ 4/1 favourite Kilronan High by just over a length.

Twiston-Davies completed a double on the second day with Flying Angel and Ballymalin, both ridden by son Sam.

An Irish winner was Stuart Crawford’s War Creation, 5/2, who was firmly driven out by Dickie Johnson to deny Twiston-Davies’ Woodfort in the closing bumper.

Doyle loses leading role

WILLIAM Buick can expect more rides for Bin Suroor, in addition to those he rides for Charlie Appleby’s side of the Godolphin operation, now that the decision has been taken to drop James Doyle down the pecking order and use the best jockeys available.

Doyle and Buick were taken on as joint retained riders early last year but Sheikh Mohammed and John Ferguson are determined to improve Godolphin’s overall performance.

Doyle will still be involved but he was due to ride at Pontefract when the Newmarket Cambridgeshire meeting opened on Thursday.

Sky Hunter aims for Melbourne

SAEED Bin Suroor, whose Newmarket string has been badly affected by the virus this year, received a welcome boost when Melbourne Cup hope Sky Hunter ran out an impressive winner of the five-runner Listed Crimbourne Stud Foundation Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday.

Epsom Icon took them along but was brushed aside when William Buick asked Sky Hunter, 5/2, to quicken before the two-furlong pole. The race was effectively over, though Tullius, beaten by just over three lengths, kept on well to deprive the odds-on Mount Logan of second place.

Sky Hunter ran in the Melbourne Cup last year without making any impression but Bin Suroor is optimistic this time: “He was sound after the race last year but was never really happy during it. We will take him to Australia again and physically he is much better than last year.”