RACING; Berry gets a lift from Jack

Bookmakers suffered a temporary setback when all six favourites won at Catterick yesterday. In the unlikely event of a punter including the half-dozen in an accumulator, the total odds were 692-1.

Jack Berry saddling three of the winners, taking his season's score so far to 40.

Palacegate Jack's game victory under top-weight as the even-money favourite in the Pen Hill Claiming Stakes was the highlight for the Lancashire trainer. The victory took the four-year-old's winning prize money total past the pounds 100,000 mark.

"This will give the horse a bit of confidence," Berry said, as John Carroll rode Palacegate Jack home a length and a quarter clear of Fangio.

Stable jockey Carroll was also on board Berry's other two winners. He survived a stewards' inquiry after winning the opening race on Shafir, then We're Joken rounded off the day when taking the concluding Grinton Handicap.

At Ayr, Scots-born Allan Mackay received high praise from trainer Alan Bailey after getting the heavily backed 7-2 co-favourite King Curan up in the final strides of the Kilmacolm Handicap to pip one-time clear leader Mr Rough by a head.

Bailey said: "That was the finest piece of riding you'll see this season. I told Alan to arrive as late as possible because the horse is a difficult ride and must be held up until the last possible moment.

"There are not many jockeys who'd have the bottle to sit and sit when riding a horse with so much money riding on the outcome as it was here."