WINNERS were not easy to find on the supporting card at Doncaster and the layers were more than happy when Andrew Balding’s youngster Rosie Briar turned up at 20/1 in the Listed Scott Dobson 30th Birthday Memorial Doncaster Stakes over six furlongs.

Mark Johnston’s Comedy School was made 2/1 favourite but ran no race at all as Rob Hornby on Rosie Briar tracked the leaders before finally wearing down Tomily well inside the final furlong with Nuclear Power a close third.

“She’s got a lot of early speed and I was able to use that,” Hornby reported. “Although there’s not a lot of her she tried her best, she’d worked well and we were quietly confident.”

TITHONUS JUST DENIED

The Templegate Tips Handicap looked a very difficult sprint but backers so nearly got it right as Denis Hogan’s 10/1 co-favourite Tithonus closed all the way to the line but failed by a short-head to catch Kristin Stubbs’ 14/1 shot Soie D’Leau.

The form book prevailed because the pair had recently met at the Curragh, where Tithonus won narrowly and Soie D’Leau finished a fair seventh. Unable to match the early leaders that day, last week’s winner was always well there this time and Tony Hamilton drove him flat out for the line after taking it up. Bogart and Hilary J came next.

Champion apprentice Josephine Gordon celebrated with an easy victory on Hugo Palmer’s To Be Wild in the mile and a half handicap and Dandy Nicholls saw the durable Sovereign Debt outclass the opposition in the closing conditions event over seven furlongs.