THE Unibet Doncaster Mile went to Roger Varian’s Zabeel Prince, ridden by Town Moor specialist Andrea Atzeni.

The market told quite a story, with the winner backed down to 10/11 favourite as Tabarrak drifted out to 9/2. Richard Hannon’s horse ran no race at all and dropped right out to finish last of the six runners.

Zabeel Prince has been a little too keen for his own good in the past but Atzeni managed to get him relaxed and in a good rhythm. He made all, which may not have been ideal, but he found plenty in the closing stages to pull two and a half lengths clear of the very fit Born To Be Alive, with Another Touch third.

“Sheikh Mohammed Obaid has been very patient with this horse, who I think will peak at five this year,” Varian commented. “I’m sure he’ll be in all the good mile races. Whether he recovers in time to go for the Group 2 at Sandown we’ll have to see but he probably warrants an entry in the Lockinge (Group 1). This could be a big year for him.”

The sprinters in the opening Listed Cammidge Trophy over six furlongs will be seeing quite a bit of each other in the weeks and months to come but Mick Easterby had the satisfaction of striking early with 4/1 joint-favourite Perfect Pasture.

The ground was at least soft, with ‘heavy in places’ soon added, but Perfect Pasture was more than happy. Hitting the front for David Allan before the furlong pole, he strode out well to beat Mr Lupton and Ice Age. Now aged eight, he looks right back to his best, having won two good handicaps and finished second in a listed sprint here late last term.

“This shouldn’t really surprise people,” Allan said. “He loves these conditions and won a listed race first time up last season. They’ve got him in really good form for the start of the year.”

Mick Channon can still turn out a youngster ready to do the job first time up and Izzer, 14/1 in places at breakfast time and still briefly 9/1 on course, took the Brocklesby at 4/1.

Always well there, he idled after hitting the front but Charlie Bishop kept him nicely balanced and still had three parts of a length to spare over 33/1 shot Broken Spear at the line.

One assumes various ‘faces’ from the trainer’s footballing past made a more than satisfactory start to the new campaign.