Horse who landed mammoth Wolverhampton gamble narrowly follows up - after Alpinista's daughter is well beaten in opener

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Iconic Times, the horse who landed a mammoth gamble at Wolverhampton last week, quickly followed that up when narrowly winning the 7f classified contest.

The Jennie Candlish-trained four-year-old won the first division of a 7f handicap at Wolverhampton last Thursday, which one on-course bookmaker estimated had taken £50,000 out of the ring. He was sent off the even-money favourite to follow up five days later.

He did so by the barest of margins, getting up on the line to win by a nose under Sean Dylan Bowen.

Alan O'Keeffe, Candlish's husband and assistant trainer, told Racing TV: "It was an unknown on the grass and Sean felt he didn't handle the track with the undulations, but we thought we'd better come as the handicapper put him up this morning 5lb on the turf, so in effect, he was 5lb well in.

"He was on the back foot from the start and then he had to deal with the camber, which might've caught him out a tad. He's clearly better on the all-weather, but he got away with it today."

Iconic Times took the in-form Candlish's strike-rate to 24 per cent in the last fortnight.

O'Keeffe added: "The horses are healthy, which makes it easier. It makes it all worthwhile when the last couple of weeks have been like they have."

Notable debutant beaten

A La Montagne, the first foal out of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Alpinista, could not make a winning debut when well held in the 7f novice contest.

The daughter of Dubawi was beaten 11 and a quarter lengths into sixth behind the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Waakabb.

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