Winning favourites were few and far between this weekend and there will have been more than just a few punters licking their wounds come yesterday evening.

The trend looked set to continue come the first race at Greyville yesterday when the well fancied Flower Blue failed to hit the boards with Touch Wood (5-1) finally getting his act together for Dennis Drier. Much had been expected of the gelding but until yesterday he had failed to deliver. “It was back to the drawing boards,” said stable rider Sean Veale after his disappointing last effort. “We took the blinkers off and this was a better effort.”

Scent Of The Tiger finally snapped the run of losing favourites as Mark Dixon’s runner prove too good for Scarrabeast and Newyorkstateofmind, and taking advantage of missing ante-post favourite Palladium who was pulled out with a hoof abscess.

Lezeanne Forbes

Night Circus was the next favourite to bite the dust. He chased in vain as Alec Forbes pushed for home early on bottom weight Warfarer for his wife Lezeanne and Night Circus was left chasing shadows.

When Anton Marcus is at the head of affairs and going a steady canter one would think the alarm bells would be ringing amongst his rivals. The bells were obvious ignored or didn’t ring at all as Marcus led the opposition a merry dance aboard Rockerfeller for Charles Laird. Marcus went to the line unchallenged with veteran outsider Discourse making the most of the funereal pace to take second.

There is not much to Pyrenees In Spain but Anthony Delpech rode the gelding as if he was aboard Sea Cottage. Storm Faerie did not set any record-breaking pace but Delpech had Dennis Bosch’s charge trailing come the top of the straight. Seemingly without much effort from Delpech, Pyrenees In Spain picked off his rivals with ease with favourite Into The Groove, who had unshipped her rider on the way to the start, battling home into second.

Roy’s Sailor was the next favourite to go walk-about, failing to hit the boards, as Forbes picked up a double aboard Nottingham Forest (4-1) for Karen and Greg Anthony. Apprentice Khanya Sakayi looked to have pinched a winning lead come the final furlong but even the 4kg claim was not enough as Sharp Seattle was swallowed up late by Nottingham Forest and outsider Beluga Berry.

Bosch was back in the winner’s enclosure in the second last but did exotic bet punters no favours, those still left in their bets that is, as Eric Ngwane drove home Founding Father (9-2) to deny Forbes his treble as Master Of Mischief cut his lead to a head at the line. They were followed home by the Bosch-trained pair of Ho’Oponopono and Elusive Wolf. Spanish Captain came out at the start leaving Flying Rock favourite but he was a spent force a long way out.

Ian Moore went one better in the last as Warren Kennedy sent Tropical Wonder to the front and kept his mount running to the line with the petrol light flashing red to hold a fast-finishing Sweet Chestnut.

Andrew Harrison