Hamilton Sky Bet Sunday Series review and free video replays

Tim Easterby completed a Hamilton double as Red Spells Danger proved a well-treated three-year-old with a striking performance from a mark of 79 in the Sun's 'Save Our Bets' Handicap.

The progressive son of Cotai Glory, a Ripon maiden winner on May 8, was relatively sluggish from the off but gradually went through the gears and made up ground towards the centre of the course to take up the running from stablemate Go Vince Go.

Marcellinus battled on late to grab second just ahead of Go Vince Go but Red Spells Danger was away and gone under jockey David Allen, scoring by four lengths in the manner of a horse with plenty more to offer in the sprint handicap ranks.

Allen said: "Well, me and Mr Blackman (Jerrold, owner) are having to eat our words here as we both said he's a seven-furlong horse. And obviously Tim was right!

"Obviously, we didn't learn a lot from the race at Ripon - he was just better than them. But when I got to the bottom of the hill here I was pretty sure I was going to pick them up. I struggled to get him down the hill a little bit, his stride is absolutely huge and he was just a little bit uncomfortable going down the hill. But as soon as I hit the rising ground he started eating into them straight away.

"We thought he was a good two-year-old and he ran some really good races, and he's got plenty of scope, plenty of size about him, so he's one of them now we've got his trip right he might improve a bit."

The Easterby double was kicked off by Mind Those Steps (7/2) winning the opening Enter ITV7 For Free EBF Novice Stakes over six furlongs, learning from last month's debut third at Ripon to score by a head from 100/30 chance This Moment from the George Boughey yard.

Allen said on ITV Racing: "Ours generally improve for a run and Ripon caught him out, the pace was quite and he just got a bit unbalanced. It just took him a bit of time to learn and he stayed on nice so we were quite happy with him there.

"It was a case of how he came down the hill today. I jumped the gate first but probably ended up last at one point, I thought we got racing early. Then I cruised past them and thought I'd win easily but he just got a bit lost when he was on his own in front."

Royal Ascot calling for Wathnan

The Wathnan Racing-owned Valiancy overcame a troubled passage to ultimately win the Sky Bet Extra Places Handicap with something to spare.

The well-backed 5/4 favourite, trained by William Haggas, appeared to be locked in a pocket on the rails behind weakening rivals as they approached the business end of the mile and three-quarter contest, but jockey James Doyle was able to swithc the four-year-old out wide towards the middle of the course and he eventually picked up quite stylishly to win by a length and a quarter.

Doyle told ITV Racing: "He's certainly been a work in progress, it was my first sit on him as he had too low a weight, when he won up here when Danny (Tudhope) won the novice on him, but he's getting there.

"The race wasn't that smooth, from stall one he broke a little bit slow and I didn't want to rush him up first run for a while, I thought we'd let him find his feet. One thing he did do was settle really nicely and progressed through the race well.

"The ones in front of me stopped a fair way out. When we got into clean air he did just drift left when I initially switched him out, but once we straightened him up he finished off powerfully. It was a good performance.

"Obviously, we'll look to run him in one of the Royal Ascot handicaps like the Copper Horse, that looks the right slot and we'll see what the handicapper does. He has been a slow learner so maybe we'll look to put them (cheekpieces) on again in the future but I wouldn't be in too much of a rush."

Rest of the action

The five-furlong Sky Bet Build A Bet Handicap went to Kevin Ryan's 10/1 chance Vantheman under Tom Eaves, the five-year-old beating Reigning Profit by half a length with a neck back to Manila Scouse in third.

Jockey Saffie Osborne capped her fine week by guiding Plaid (2/1) to an impressive eight-length success in the Sky Bet Price Boosts Fillies' Handicap.

Osborne rode two notable winners at this week's Dante Festival at York, though neither was anywhere near as comfortable as this one which came in facile fashion for James Fanshawe's Newmarket raider.

Letsbefrank (5/2 fav) rounded off proceedings with victory in the closing Flutter Proud To Support Young Lives Vs Cancer Apprentice Handicap, Jim Goldie's charge seeing off stablemate Krissy by three quarters of a length.

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