IN front of a record crowd of 10,106 for Lingfield’s All-Weather Championships Finals day yesterday, hot favourite Grendisar landed the most valuable event of all, the £200,000 Coral Easter Classic over a mile and a quarter. Backed down to 4/6, this prolific course winner proved a length too good for Fire Fighting, who pipped French challenger Metropol for second as they flashed past the post.

Grendisar, third in this behind the very talented Tryster last year, has now won seven times around Lingfield and seven times for Adam Kirby. He is the leading prize-money earner this winter and will certainly be named Horse of the Season. Watersmeet led them early on, tracked by Metropol with Political Policy not far away. Kirby sat down to ride the favourite in earnest from the top of the straight and the response was not immediate, though he always looked the winner from that point. Wearing down the front pair, he readily went clear, the first three opening up a gap, although Man Of Harlech ran better this time in a hood and finished fourth.