Frustration eased for Bryan Smart as Castan maintains consistent form

Wednesday: Catterick

Bryan Smart has had a "frustrating" year but there was a sense of relief when Castan delivered for the second time.

The Thirsk-based trainer secured his 11th winner of the year as the two-year-old saw off seven rivals in the 5f nursery handicap.

Smart said: "I can’t complain with how the horses have run, but it’s just been one of those frustrating years.

"We were second in a race at Nottingham with Cotai Pearl, and if this horse finished second I would’ve jumped off a cliff because that would’ve been 26 seconds for us this year.

"This game is hard enough when you’ve got a big string, but when you have a small string you have to place horses in the right races. When they keep coming second, you’re hitting the goal line but not hitting the net."

The Group 1-winning trainer added that Castan’s owners, Ceffyl Racing, have been loyal supporters to the yard.

He said: "They have been with me for years, but there have been some lean ones. We bought this horse for 10,000gns and he’s gone on to be exceptionally nice."

Big upset

The biggest shock of the day came in the 7f novice stakes as Mahalik saw off the 1-5 favourite Waiting All Night.

In the four-runner race, the Karl Burke-trained two-year-old was steered to a first career victory by Pierre-Louis Jamin.

More improvement

Sunningdale came on from his second-place finish at Ascot earlier this month to land the feature 7f nursery.

The two-year-old, who also finished tenth in the Chesham Stakes at the royal meeting in June, justified favouritism to pull three-and-a-quarter lengths clear of Little Edi.

Results, replays and analysis

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