Mad dash pays dividends for super-sub Stock

Harry Stock was all set for evening stables at Martin Keighley’s yard in Gloucestershire when the call to action came from his boss and the rider’s mad dash to deepest Northamptonshire paid dividends as Spice Girl proved a winning spare ride in the 1m7½f maiden hurdle for mares.

With champion jockey Richard Johnson stepping down after a heavy fall in the first race, Keighley decided to call on his stable’s conditional to fill the void, leaving Stock with little more than hour to make the 45-mile journey east.

Having partnered Spice Girl to victory on her last two starts, Stock threw caution to the wind to maintain the partnership and raced into the track with just minutes to spare to weigh out.