FERDY MURPHY'S stable took the honours at Sedgefield yesterday, recording a 25-1 double via Red Society and Looking Forward.

Both horses were ridden by Murphy's conditional jockey, Neil Mulholland, who was seen to particularly good effect aboard Looking Forward, the game winner of the feature race on the card, the £7,000 Tote Exacta Handicap.

"It's been a long wait as our horses have been wrong for a while now, but that's one of the perils of horse racing," said Paul Murphy, representing his father, who was on duty saddling Dominikus, a gallant fourth in the Kim Muir Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Red Society, who made much of the running to pick up the Westminster Novices Chase, was winning his first-ever race, although it didn't come as a surprise to Paul.

"I thought Red Society had a great chance and couldn't believe his starting price (11-2). The only time he has run badly recently was at Musselburgh and that was over two miles, which is not far enough for him," revealed Murphy.

There was a major shock in store for punters in the opening two-mile-five-furlong Novices Hurdle when the 20-1 outsider, Garden Feature, romped to an easy nine-length success.

Garden Feature, owned and trained by Jimmy Walton, was well in command throughout the final half-mile, drawing clear of his rivals under a smooth-as-silk ride from his relatively inexperienced pilot, Ben Orde-Powlett.

"That's my first winner for over a year," said the relieved Morpeth-based handler.