SMITH’S MISS IS A HIT

And what a place to start – Missoula nosed out Mamlook and Liberate in the Ascot Stakes, the second and third trained by David Pipe and Philip Hobbs respectively – who Miss Smith would normally be taking on over jumps.

“Yes she's the only flat horse I have and we bought her last autumn from Mark Tompkins who had just won with her at York,” said Smith. 

“She didn't do anything on her hurdles debut and seemed happier back on the flat. She ran well at Haydock last time and Sam Hitchcock gave a her a great ride.”

Indeed Missoula reached a high of 999-1 (the highest price possible) on Betfair. 

Smith has a way with mares; her best previous winner was the one-eyed mare Material World who was just beaten in the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival two years ago.

John Best just lost out with the big-priced Kingsgate Native in the Windsor Castle Stakes 12 months previously but made amends in some style as 100-1 shot Flashmans Papers did the business, with stablemate Mullionmileanhour third.

The winner could also run tomorrow in the Norfolk.

Starting prices of 22-1, 8-1, 20-1 and 100-1 meant the bookies had by far the better of the first day. With the best-backed horse of the day, Fleeting Spirit, only third, the bookies head into day two full of confidence.

“Fleeting Spirit getting beaten was a monster result for us,” said Damian Walker of totesport. 

“She would have been one of the worst results of the week for us if she had gone in what with all the ante-post money and the weight of cash that forced her into 15-8 favourite.”

Hills’ PR supremo David Hood reported a similar story.

“We’ve had a great day, only the small punters have backed the big-price winners,” said David Hood. 

“It’s amazing that Haradasun was allowed to go off at 5-1 considering the amount of money we saw for him before the Lockinge in our ante-post market. Punters lost faith in him.”

“We laid Finsceal Beo to lose a lot in the same race and seeing her get beaten was a big fillip.”