MISERABLY wet weather at Redcar yesterday produced a series of shock results as the constant heavy rain penetrated deep into the ground, writes COLIN WOODS.

Out-of-pocket punters found themselves on the back foot from the word go as Howard Johnson's 20-1 outsider, Opal Noir, led a seven-race whitewash of the favourites by easily brushing aside his nine rivals in the opening two-year-old contest.

"Opal Noir's done plenty of work but was green and will improve for the experience. He was bought privately as a yearling off Kevin Keegan, who bred him," reported Ollie Pears, representing the successful connections, Transcend Bloodstock.

And the big-priced winners didn't stop there because despite being sent off a totally unconsidered 40-1 shot, Pick A Nice Name duly humbled her far more fancied opponents by taking the six furlong Conference Centre Maiden Stakes.

The feature event on the card, the £10,000 seven-furlong Fillies Handicap, produced another bonanza for the layers as the prize ended up in the pocket of Miss Meggy at 20-1.

It was Miss Meggy's first win for two years, her only previous victory coming at Beverley in the 2004 Listed Hilary Needler Stakes when in the care of Tim Easterby.

Now with Malton's Julie Camacho, it was probably no coincidence that the mare's fortunes were revived as a consequence of being covered by Dansili as recently as last Friday. The ten-furlong seller went to English City (7-1), who unsuprisingly failed to attract a bid in the subsequent auction.

Kevin Darley improved an already excellent record for Newmarket's Nick Littmoden by coming with a late rattle to collar Apt To Run in the mile-and-a-quarter Handicap.

Darley needed all of his guile to steer home Swayze (9-2), who showed signs of inexperience and momentarily hung fire when asked by his jockey to quicken in the closing stages.

Any thoughts of a retrieving losses by lumping on the market leaders in the last two races were comprehensively foiled when Cd Europe (5-4), and Prince Picasso (4-5), were both on the wrong end of a good hiding.

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