Redcar report

DAVID Barker has found the secret to Wovoka and the sixyear- old again put his best foot forward as he completed a near 71-1 double for the Scorton trainer and jockey Tony Hamilton at Redcar yesterday.

The 11-4 chance had made a successful seasonal debut at Newcastle nine days ago for which he was raised 5lb in the ratings but improved again to win decisively.

Hamilton squeezed him though on the rails at the furlong marker and he ran on nicely to collar Charlie Tipple and score by a length.

Barker reasoned: ‘‘He was a very good horse in his early days, but last year he had been getting there in his races and then jibbing.

‘‘But a winter break has done him the world of good and he is coming back to his old form.’’ Darcy’s Pride (18-1) rather lost her way too in the latter half of last season, but she bounced back to form with a game success in the Market Cross Jewellers Fillies’ Handicap.

Barker added: ‘‘She wants this firm ground, that is why her form went off last year. It is nice to see her win, but the prize money (£2,590) is so bad they could have paid us in Easter eggs – mind you the prize Wovoka won (£4,857) was worth having!’’ Barker was full of praise of Hamilton and went on: ‘‘He is a very much underrated jockey, he gave both horses good rides, and how he was able to get Wovoka covered up and still win in a six-runner race at Redcar was amazing.’’ Alan McCabe’s decision to buy Kipchak out of the Clive Brittain stable after he had been successful at Lingfield two weeks ago paid a winning dividend when the four-yearold made all under a good ride from Robert Winston in the Syd Burgess Octogenarian Handicap.

McCabe said of his 7-2 winner: ‘‘I have had an eye on him for some time, he is a bit tricky and he had to be led to the start, but he ran well on his first run for us at Pontefract last week and I thought he would be better suited by this flat track.

‘‘You know if you get one out of Clive Brittain’s stable he will be all right, you know he looks after his horses and I think there is improvement in him.’’ El Dececy (8-11) had run well in better company at Pontefract last week and appreciated the drop in class when returning to the fray in the freebets.co.uk Holiday Free Bets Selling Stakes, just justifying the odds laid on him in the hands of Neil Callan.

He is trained by Stuart Parr for football agent Willie McKay who had to go to 13,500 guineas to retain the gelding at the ensuing auction.