'I still think he's probably running on Keith's petrol!' - David O'Meara shares credit for Sky Bet Dash success

David O'Meara landed the Sky Bet Dash for the second time in four years but was not keen to take the credit for Aberama Gold's success.

The progressive sprinter had been with the now-retired Keith Dalgleish when winning at Wolverhampton and Hamilton last month and was having just his second outing since moving to Yorkshire.

After the 7-1 shot had taken this £65,000 handicap by a neck under 3lb claimer Mark Winn, earning a 16-1 quote for the Coral Stewards' Cup (from 25-1) from Paddy Power, his new trainer said: "We've not really done anything with him since he arrived. He ran very quickly after coming from Keith's and even now I hardly know the horse yet. 

"I still think he's probably running on Keith's petrol! He's in the Stewards' Cup next Saturday and if he gets in, why not run?"

Winn judged things perfectly to lead near the finish on the biggest winner of his career and O'Meara said: "Mark is getting better all the time, he's turning into a very accomplished jockey."

Winn, 20, added: "This is great. I went to school a mile from here and so it's nice to ride winners here, let alone a big handicap.

"He's done it very well. We didn't want to get there too early. He likes a good gallop and I hope there's more to come from him."

'It's very different'

Micheal Nolan, the newly appointed stable jockey to Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, took time off from his day job to ride his first Flat winner and initiate a double for O'Meara in the Sky Bet Jump Jockeys' Nunthorpe.

He reckoned to have had only around half a dozen previous rides on the Flat and was delighted to triumph on Soul Seeker, although he admitted this 5f dash was nothing like he is used to.

"It's very different," Nolan said after the 25-1 shot had repeated his 2021 victory under Tom Scudamore. "By the time you got to the winning line here, in a chase you'd just be getting your position but that was fantastic. 

"I thought he had a good each-way chance because he'd won it before, looked well handicapped on his old form and David had him spot on.

"I was on a very experienced, streetwise horse. He's a lovely ride and he did everything for me. He was very quickly away, I was able to sit on him and fill him up and go for him when I had to. The other horse put it up to him and he had to put his head down and battle and he did that. He's very genuine."

Micheal Nolan on Soul Seeker holds off Harry Reed on EcclesiasticalCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Hardie double 

Cam Hardie had ridden just two winners from 109 previous mounts at York in the past five seasons but improved that record markedly with a 23-1 double.

He took the nursery on impressive 3-1 shot Blue Prince for Richard Fahey then landed the 2m½f handicap on Baez (5-1) for Jim Goldie.

The jockey said: "You can't beat it, especially at places like this as I try to get on the map a bit."

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