'It’s been a little bit slow to come this year' - Simon Whitaker enjoys welcome win with Miss Willows

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Miss Willows provided trainer Simon Whitaker with his first winner since April when landing the opening 7f apprentice handicap.

The closest the five-year-old had been to getting her head in front in 12 previous starts was when she finished second over course and distance on soft ground in May, and a return to those conditions yielded a breakthrough success under Ben Sanderson.

“She loves a bit of cut in the ground,” said Whitaker. “She didn’t have a lot of luck in running the last time she ran and I told Ben today to just sit where you’re happy.”

It was just a second winner of the season for Sanderson and Whitaker, who added: “We’ve been knocking on the door recently – it’s been a little bit slow to come this year with a wet spring and everything. Everyone’s been really patient.

“The owners, David Brown and Chris Peacock, are local people and this is their first winner so that’s brilliant.”

Street strikes

J Street was unlucky to bump into Unspoken Love – subsequent winner of a £40,000 contest – in selling company at Musselburgh last time, but Craig Lidster’s juvenile made amends for that neck defeat in the 5f fillies’ maiden.

The daughter of Washington DC justified 5-2 favouritism under Shane Gray to get off the mark at the fourth attempt.

Lidster and Gray were denied a double when Stat Goddess chased home Wondrous Ways in the following 5f nursery.

Awesome Achnamara

Trainer Phil Kirby enjoyed a one-two in the 2m handicap when 12-1 shot Achnamara got the better of his shorter-priced stablemate and 5-2 favourite Lord Torranaga.

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