'It's a brilliant feeling' - apprentice with amazing Chester record strikes again for biggest win of his career

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Ashley Lewis advertised his skills for trainer Ed Walker on a busy Saturday as he partnered Northern Champion to secure the biggest success of his career in the Listed City Plate Stakes.

The 5lb claimer was not able to use his allowance in the feature race but it did not matter as he guided the three-year-old to the perfect position on the inside rail, and was then given the ideal opportunity to challenge when the front-running Myal drifted wide off the home bend. 

Northern Champion picked up to overtake Holguin before finding enough to hold off the late challenge of Dash Of Azure and win by a neck. It was a fourth success for the colt after a debut win and a double at Meydan towards the beginning of the year. He finished ninth in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup last time.

"It's a brilliant feeling," Lewis told Sky Sports Racing. "I just can't thank the owners and trainer enough. Mr Walker has given me a lot of opportunities on good horses and it's nice to get the job done."

Lewis, who has now had six winners from 13 rides at Chester, said: "I was drawn in stall one and was always going to get a nice lead into it if they went quick. The one in front of me came off the bend quite a long way out and I slipped down the inside. He just took off and hit the line very hard. He's a very game horse. We had horses on the outside and he wanted to beat them."

The rider could not properly revel in the success, however, as he was handed a three-day ban for careless riding for allowing his mount to drift right-handed into the path of Tiber Flow without timely correction.

Lewis and Walker were completing a double after landing the opening 7f maiden fillies' stakes with Dream Vega. In winning by three and three-quarter lengths she was breaking her maiden at the third attempt, and the result would have given her trainer an extra kick as she is a sister to the yard's Group 1 winner Dreamloper.

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