A GOOD Bank Holiday crowd enjoyed an excellent afternoon of racing at the Cattistock meeting at Littlewindsor.

The highlights were a training treble for Ottery St Mary trainer Ed Walker and a riding double for Josh Newman.

The opening race, the Maiden over two-and-a-half miles, produced a surprise result with Taking the Mickey, ridden by George Hiscock, narrowly holding off the challenge of Smart Boy, with Will Biddick on board.

The latter who had looked the winner until blundering badly at the last tried to get back on terms but the winner had a neck in hand at the line.

The winner bought privately from a friend in Ireland by trainer Annabelle Bacon as a three-year-old for a partnership consisting of Janet Montgomery and four members of Annabelle’s family.

Based in Milborne Port this was only Bacon's third training success.

The first of Ed Walker’s training treble came courtesy of Mick’s Lad who was a comfortable winner of the Restricted race.

Owned by John Dorse and Mike Roe he had been bought by Walker at Ascot in May 2016 for £9,000 out of Dan Skelton’s yard and has taken his time to learn to settle in his races.

Josh Newman, just returned from a trip riding in America, was able to coast home to win by ten lengths from his nearest rival Faraway Star.

The Ladies' Open race saw the mare Miss Gotaway easily beat her three rivals when given a confident ride by Abbie Hughes.

Carrying only a featherweight of 10 stone, two pounds due to the mare’s allowance and the five pounds allowance claimed by Abbie she had ten lengths in hand at the line from course specialist Sobre Tresor ridden by Taylor Pook.

The Men’s Open was a close run affair with only a length separating the first three home.

Kirkleigh had looked the winner having made most of the running but was passed on the run in by Kernel Victor, ridden by Josh Newman.

The tightest finish of the day came in the Conditions race with four of the six strong field in a line jumping the last fence.

Initially it looked like Dunn’s River ridden by Biddick might prevail but both the mare Flights and the gelding Ballybough Gorta stayed on to fight out the finish with the mare having half a length to spare at the line.

Ridden by leading Novice rider, Lorcan Williams the mare was stepping up into better company having previously won a Maiden at Charlton Horethorne but stayed on very well to give the Sally Alner stable another winner in what has been a tremendous season for her and the hard working Ali Trim.

The final two races provided a double for local trainer Jack Barber.

He introduced a young four-year-old in the Open Maiden race called Worthy Farm, ridden by Martin McIntyre, who despite being quite shaky over his first few fences was soon in command and easily beat his six rivals by a distance.

Bought at the Tattersalls Derby sale in June 2016 for 60,000 Euros for a partnership consisting of Paul Nicholls, Ian Fogg, Dan Macdonald and Alfie Gibson he is a half-brother to the five-times winner Mister Miyagi trained by Skelton.

Well Travelled then walked over in the Members' race to give Biddick and the Axe Valley Racing Club another winner.