Racing: Pasternak lands coup

Pasternak landed a tub-thumping gamble and gave his trainer, Sir Mark Prescott, a remarkable big-race one-two when beating his stablemate Rudimental in the Cambridgeshire Handicap at Newmarket yesterday.

The lightly raced four-year-old, thought to be a doubtful runner throughout the week due to the fast ground, was backed from 10-1 in the morning with Coral, William Hill and Ladbrokes down to 4-1 favourite.

Prominent from the outset in the stands side group for George Duffield, his rider, Pasternak was always travelling well within himself and looked to have made a decisive move when he went to the front inside the final furlong.

John Lowe and Rudimental challenged against the rail with 100 yards to race, but they could never get on terms and went down by three-quarters of a length. Hunters Of Brora filled third, a length adrift, with fourth place going to Gulf Shaadi.

Prescott, who won the race with Quinlan Terry in 1988, had voiced fears about the fast ground for yesterday's race and decided only on Friday morning that Pasternak would run.

Prescott said: "We worked some runners here on Friday morning and and decided we would run. I thought it would suit Rudimental but it wouldn't suit the other horse. But the two have reproduced their running exactly from a gallop they did about 10 days ago. Pasternak is a marvellous horse for the big handicaps. He's not an easy horse so I thought he ought to run in the big ones - if you win the small ones you still go up. I worked out the combined age of my jockeys was 98, but the old boys still know how to ride them."

Despite the weight of money and anticipation, Duffield had remained one of the coolest men on the course - jockeys, punters and bookmakers alike. He said: "When you are riding good horses there is no pressure."

Further Flight's attempt to win a sixth Jockey Club Cup failed when he finished third to Grey Shot, while Reams Of Verse , the Oaks winner, was a disappointing third to One So Wonderful in the Sun Chariot Stakes.