Monday 29 June 2015 18:34, UK
A review of Monday's action at Pontefract where Richard Hannon saddled his first winners at the track.
Richard Hannon, champion trainer in his fledgling season last year after taking over from his father, saddled his first winners at Pontefract when Age Of Empire and Paint The Star gave him a double.
Both were ridden by Ryan Moore, himself far from a regular visitor to the West Yorkshire venue.
Age Of Empire was rewarded for a good run at Royal Ascot when winning a competitive race for the Spindrifter EBF Conditions Stakes.
The juvenile son of Royal Applause, who was sixth to Buratino in the Coventry Stakes, opened Hannon's account at Pontefract, although he had only had six previous runners.
Moore took Age Of Empire (13/8) to the front two furlongs out after Dodgy Bob had taken his four rivals along, and quickly put the race to bed to account for Gold Medallion by a length and three-quarters.
Paint The Star (15/8) shrugged off As Good As Gold to make all in the Wilfred Underwood Memorial Classified Stakes for a two-length verdict.
In contrast to Hannon, Tim Easterby is no stranger to success at Pontefract and the Malton handler weighed in with a brace courtesy of Gran Canaria Queen and Another Royal.
Gran Canaria Queen (7/2) was winning for the third time in her last four starts as she spreadeagled the opposition in the EBF Stallions Breeding Winners Park Suite Fillies' Handicap.
Following successes at York and Ripon sandwiched by a short-head defeat at Chester, the in-form four-year-old made all the in the hands of 5lb claimer Rachel Richardson.
Gran Canaria Queen was quickly away and had a clear advantage turning for home as she came home by two and a quarter lengths from the staying-on Spiraea.
Another Royal (9/2) got up in the shadow of the post to nail Sleeping Apache in the Richard Lingwood - A Lifetime In Racing Handicap.
Sleeping Apache looked home and hosed when going past the pacesetting Horsforth a furlong out but David Allan conjured a late dash out of the filly to snatch the verdict by a head.
Graham Gibbons' decision to kick on Ingleby Hollow (14/1) at the home turn proved a winning move in the Wayne Conway Memorial Handicap.
Though the pack closed in, David O'Meara's charge held on by three-quarters of a length from Dew Pond for the Easterby team.
"He's a horse that's taken a bit of time to learn his job," said O'Meara.
"He didn't handle the bends at Beverley last time so we thought we'd bring him here and he handled it much better."
However, Gibbons was banned for two days (July 13 and 14) for using his whip above the permitted level.
Qibtee (9/2) finally got off the mark at the 25th attempt when delivered late by Alyson Deniel to claim the Monte Saffer 80th Birthday Celebration Ladies' Handicap for trainer Les Eyre.
"He's not ungenuine. It's just that when he gets to the front he doesn't know what to do. Hopefully we can go on with him now," Eyre told Racing UK.
Piccadilly Jim (11/4) swept past Thornaby Nash under Tony Hamilton to land the Always Trying Handicap and give trainer Richard Fahey an across-the-card double after Personal Touch went in at Wolverhampton.
