Sunday City joy at Catterick

Peter Bowen had sent the five-year-old on the 516-mile round trip from his Pembrokeshire base to North Yorkshire, and punters took the hint as they backed him into 6-4 favourite from 9-4.

The five-year-old landed the bets in style in the hands of Tom Greenway as he came home eight lengths clear of Red Man.

Karen Bowen, representing her husband, said: ''He's improved a bit and let's hope he keeps progressing.

''He's got a bit of maturing left to do again and hopefully he'll be a really nice chaser one day.

''We didn't have anything in mind for him, we were just going to see what he did today and take it from there.''

Prince Of Slane put up a solid staying performance to land the catterickbridge.co.uk Handicap Chase.

The 4-1 shot got well behind in the early stages after a few jumping errors as Benrajah set a fair pace in the extended three-mile-one-furlong contest.

He made relentless headway to take closer order on the final circuit but still had plenty to do leaving the final bend.

Dougie Costello kept the Alan Swinbank-trained gelding up to his work and they gradually reeled in Benrajah to hit the front close home and win going away by two lengths.

Prince Of Slane was making amends for a first-fence exit on his previous start and Swinbank's representative, Bill Haigh, said: ''I was so pleased for Dougie because he got some stick after he got unshipped at the first fence last time but he rides him well. He's a good boy who just wants a bit of confidence so that was great for him.

''The horse is still only a novice but I thought he'd get to the leader, particularly when they came into the straight.

''He won the Durham National last year and he might try that again or something like that, maybe the Scottish National.''

Industrial Star, who suffered a serious injury in an accident in a horsebox last year, has clearly recovered from the incident as he showed when he got the better of the heavily-backed Balyan in the Halifax Novices' Hurdle.

The latter was backed into 6-4 favourite from 11-4 but he had no answer to Industrial Star's finishing burst from the final flight, and Micky Hammond's charge ran on to win by a length and a quarter under Neil Mulholland.

After greeting the 11-1 shot, Hammond said: ''He did well for us winning his bumper last season but he was involved in an accident in a horsebox going up to Hamilton in the summer so we've just given him time.

''The vets have done a good job with the injury, which was to his near-hind, and they were always confident he would not only make a comeback but he would also retain his ability.

''He only started exercising again in mid-October. We'll see how he comes out of this race and bring him along steadily. I would imagine he'd have a staying Flat campaign.''

There was plenty of stable confidence behind Whaleef in the WL And Hector Christie Memorial Trophy and it proved to be spot on as the 9-2 (from 6-1) chance, strongly ridden by Tony Dobbin, held off Waltzing Along by two lengths.

Winning trainer Bernard Llewellyn was represented by his son and assistant John, who said: ''We backed him so that was a case of job done. He was the best horse over hurdles, we just had to get his jumping right.

''We've been schooling him a lot lately and his owner, Jason Parfitt, has been riding him round the streets of Wales after the horse was off with a leg after Market Rasen.''

Astarador, confidently ridden by Brian Hughes, ran out the easy winner of the Huddersfield Intermediate National Hunt Flat Race for the powerful Howard Johnson camp.

''This horse is a bit weak,'' Johnson said of the 8-13 winner. ''He might just have one more bumper and then I might put him away.

''He's a typical French horse with a high knee action and I think he'll want the mud.''

No Commission was well-ridden by Richie McGrath to win the Bradford Juvenile Novices' Hurdle for Cumbria-based trainer Roger Fisher.

There was no bid for the 11-1 chance at the subsequent auction.

McGrath went on to complete a 30-1 double on the Keith Reveley-trained Welcome To Unos in the Wakefield Beginners' Chase.

l Top jockeys Keith Mercer and Graham Lee were in the wars after they were involved in a nasty incident in the Bradford Juvenile Novices' Selling Hurdle.

Mercer was on Bellalou, who blundered and fell at the fourth flight bringing down Lee's mount, Elaala.

Annals was also hampered and unseated Larry McGrath in the spill.

The latter emerged unscathed but Mercer was taken to the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton for X-rays on a suspected broken collarbone.

Lee damaged his left foot in the mishap and could face a few days on the sidelines. He was taken to hospital in Middlesbrough for precautionary X-rays on the injury