A MARATHON cross-channel journey ended in sweet success for Newmarket trainer Richard Spencer when Candy won Redcar’s richest race of the year today.

Spencer had a runner at Saint-Cloud on Friday and travelled 540 miles to get to Redcar in time for the £150,000 listed William Hill Two Year Old Trophy.

"It was a long way, but we were hopeful. He's progressing nicely and we've always liked him. Today has been the plan for a while. We'll see how he comes out of the race, but we might look at a race in France or try a Group 3 here."

Winning rider George Wood added: "He's very tough and really improving. All he's going to do is progress."

Michael Dods’ Northern Ticker looked all over the winner until close home when Candy forged ahead, and Adrian Keatley’s Francisco’s Place also finished well to be second.

The sweet irony is that a horse called Candy was winning the race, 10 years after a trainer called Candy (Henry) won it with the brilliant sprinter Limato.

The second listed race on the card, the Racing TV EBF Stallions Guisborough Stakes, was won in tenacious style by Grey’s Monument, trained in Hampshire by Ralph Beckett, and ridden by Rossa Ryan.

The odds-on favourite had a prolonged duel with Michael Dods’ ultra-consistent Northern Express, who performed admirably at his first crack at a listed race.

“He’s a tough cookie,” said the winning jockey after Grey’s Monument had dug deep to prevail by half a length.

It was the second leg of a double for Ryan who landed the Racing TV EBF Stallions Novice Stakes (Division Two) on the impressive William Haggas-trained two-year-old Binhareer.

The grey son of Dark Angel looked a horse with a promising future, especially on soft ground.

'He’s a very nice horse who's still learning and will make a lovely three-year-old,” said Ryan.

After coming close on both Northern Ticker and Northern Express in the feature events, Paul Mulrennan was in the winner’s enclosure after Ed Bethell’s Naepoint scored a commanding victory in the Woodsmith Construction Group Straight-Mile Series Final Handicap.

The Middleham trainer said: "Paul gets a good tune out of him and the horse looks progressive. He was due to run at the Ayr Western Meeting but didn't get in, so we came here instead."

Karl Burke’s Arabian Angel survived a prolonged stewards’ enquiry after beating Ralph Beckett’s Seraph Gabriel by a short-head in the opening Racing TV EBF Stallions Novice Stakes (Division One) under Dougie Costello.

Assistant trainer James Callow said of Arabian Angel: "He's always been held in high regard. He ran well first time then probably bumped into a good one at Haydock. He's a work in progress and will be even nicer next year, when we could be looking at Pattern races for him."

Apprentice Tom Kiely-Marshall continues to impress and was seen to good effect when producing Dandy’s Angel in the final furlong to complete a hat-trick in the Empentis – Training Equine Staff Handicap.

The Dandy Man mare, trained in North Yorkshire by John Wainwright, was defying a 4lbs penalty after victories at Hamilton and Haydock.

Charlie Johnston’s Open Secret was a comfortable winner of the Market Cross Jewellers Handicap under Connor Beasley, coming home three lengths clear of Tim Easterby’s Gibside.

And there were happy scenes in the winner’s enclosure when Curious Rover, owned by the Ursa Major Racing syndicate, won the concluding Watch Race Replays On racingtv.com Handicap.

Trained by Katie Scott at Galashiels, and ridden by Oisin Orr, it had been 13 runs since the gelding had last won at Haydock over a year ago.

"He's hit the crossbar so many times this year, he really deserved that,” said the trainer.