Mr Professor keeps Pontefract Listed success in the family with gritty win

Mr Professor kept the achievement of winning black type races at Pontefract in the family when gamely holding on to win the Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Silver Tankard Stakes from the odds-on favourite Westover.

The Chris McHale-bred son of Profitable followed in his dam's footsteps when taking the feature race of the day, ten years after McHale's Law Of The Range had struck in the Pipalong Stakes for Marco Botti and the very same jockey, Silvestre de Sousa.

The tough and tenacious gelding had sold from Oghill House Stud to Hamish Macauley for 30,000gns from Tattersalls December as a foal before being bought by Robson Aguiar for Amo Racing from WH Bloodstock for 105,000gns at Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale.

Trained by Alice Haynes, the two-year-old holds an entry in next week's Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale, although whether it will be taken up after today's result could come into question.

He is the third stakes winner from the first crop of Profitable, Kildangan Stud's son of Invincible Spirit who is also responsible for Queen Mary Stakes victress Quick Suzy and Curragh Stakes scorer Head Mistress.

His dam, the five-time winning Law Of The Range is by Alhaarth, a top-class two-year-old who won the Dewhurst, Champagne and Solario Stakes for Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum and Dick Hern. A multiple Group winner at three and four, the Unfuwain half-brother to Green Pola then retired to stand at Shadwell's Derrinstown Stud.

Law Of The Range, who was bought by McHale for 21,000gns from the Brookside Breeders Club back in 2008, is the third foal out of the unraced Mountain Cat mare Mountain Law, and a half-sister to five winners including Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes second High Court Drama.

Mountain Law is in turn a half-sister to Hungerford and Supreme Stakes winner With Reason and the Futurity Stakes-winning Fillies' Mile runner-up Jural.

Watch Mr Professor win at Pontefract

Read more

Diverse range of sires with Champions Day winners reflects post-Galileo era

Mutamakina a fifth top-level winner for Nathaniel in E. P. Taylor Stakes success

New goals to be made in racing for star striker Claudio Pizarro