'It was like a piece of work' - York could be next after dream ride Muscika plunders feature sprint

He may be nine but there is plenty of life left in Muscika's legs as he proved when scooping the feature race without seeing another rival. 

The doughty sprinter controlled the 6f handicap from the front and pulled away from Count Otto to win by three lengths, with his rider Cieren Fallon taken aback by how he was allowed to dictate.

"He jumped well and I got a very, very soft lead, surprisingly," he said. "We dawdled in front and then kicked and just nicked the race. He's an old boy, he's in good form and he was unlucky to get touched off at Wolverhampton the last day.

"He's handled the track very well. He's well balanced and he travels, which is what you need. He was true and honest to the line and I couldn't pull him up towards the end. Jockeys dream for rides like that where you jump out, bowl along and nothing catches you. It was like a piece of work and we never saw another rival."

The David O'Meara-trained veteran runs in the green and white silks of Gallop Racing, who were regulars at York with a similarly reliable type in Firmament, and Fallon believes the Knavesmire could be Muscika's next port of call.

He added: "That could be a real confidence boost for him. Mr O'Meara loves York and it's coming up so maybe we can sneak him in a little race there."

Lethal burst

Lethal Touch put in the most impressive performance of the day when streaking clear of the field in the 1m2f handicap under Thore Hammer Hansen.

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