Rain arrives in time for Smokey to end Evans drought at track
The rain came to the East Midlands just in time for Smokey Lane as he appreciated the cut in the ground to land the feature 6f handicap and end a long losing spell at the course stretching back more than 600 days for trainer David Evans.
Given a cracking ride by Fran Berry, the three-year-old was nearer last then first at halfway but quickly got himself into a challenging position, hitting the front a furlong out and seeing off Scorching Heat.
Evans was at Windsor but his representative Malcolm McCaull said: “If it had not rained I doubt Dave would have run the horse as he was worried it might be too lively for him. But I phoned him and said it was good to soft ground so he was happy to let him take his chance.
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