'It's family but you're out there to win races' - Thomas Easterby beats older brother William in amateur contest

There is no stopping the Easterbys. One of the most successful families in racing history achieved another rare feat when brothers Thomas and William finished first and second in the 1m2f amateur jockeys' race.

Thomas, 17, won the contest on Just Hiss, who is trained by his multiple Group 1-winning father Tim, with brother William, 28, a length and a quarter away on Contrast for hugely successful great-uncle Mick.

"It's brotherly love, first and second," said a proud Tim Easterby, son of former champion jumps trainer Peter.

"They both ride really well. Thomas gave Just Hiss a really good ride. He was a bit mad with himself on this horse at Beverley last time because he thought he should have won, he got shuffled back. But if he'd won there he wouldn't have won today because he wouldn't have got in the race."

Thomas, a successful point-to-point rider, was winning his fourth race on the Flat, and said: "I've got another year at school, I'll see where that takes me then maybe go to a jumps yard one day but I'm still young."

Asked whether there had been any congratulations from his elder brother after the line, he said: "William didn't say anything to me – it's family but you're out there to win races, that's the main thing."

Right Royal result

Ryan Moore does not ride all that often for Kevin Ryan but he won the Prix du Jockey Club and Irish Champion Stakes on The Grey Gatsby for the trainer in 2014 and may have been on another smart horse here.

The trainer had hoped Royal Zabeel would make a winning debut at the track last month and the Jaber Abdullah-owned two-year-old made no mistake second time out, scoring from the front by seven and a half lengths.

"That was very pleasing," said Ryan. "I thought he had a good run here first time, he was a bit unlucky as he had a bad passage round.

"He had a nice draw today and Ryan kept it very uncomplicated. He's gone round there with his ears pricked and he'll have learned an awful lot again. Ryan said don't rush him back so we'll give him a bit of time, let him get over it. He's a horse we've liked all along."

'July was a very plain month'

August is turning out to be much better than July for Paul Midgley, who sent out his fourth winner of the month when Van Gerwen took the 5f handicap under Cam Hardie.

"Things have picked up in this last week, which they needed to do," the trainer said. "July was a very plain month with a lot of placed horses, no luck and just one winner at the start. They're back in form now and running well."

Midgley was quick to credit Van Gerwen's groom after the ten-year-old scored his tenth win in a race named after similarly long-serving sprint handicapper Chaplins Club.

"He's an odd character but Laura Dishman, who's with him, worships him and she's probably been the making of him," he said.

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