Racing: Tedburrow on top

The Preston trainer Eric Alston recorded his third City Walls Stakes success in the last five years when Tedburrow scored by a length and three quarters at Chester yesterday, writes Ian Davies.

The stable, who took the pounds 25,000-added sprint with Stack Rock in 1993 also won it in 1995 with Ziggy's Dancer, an honourable third here, a neck behind the favourite Bishops Court.

"I've got no idea where to go with Tedburrow now," confessed Alston. "The horse was rated 103 before this and I entered him for the Portland and the Ayr Gold Cup but I will have to take a long look at the programme book. Mind you, it's nice problem to have." The trainer only acquired the five-year-old, a 10-1 chance here, in March and added: "I still maintain he's better over six furlongs as he takes a little time to get into his stride, but he has settled down a lot and could still be improving."

Alston completed a 40-1 double when Ambidextrous beat the aptly named Keep Battling by a short head in the Cheshire Yeomanry Handicap.

"John Egan said the other horse tried to take a bite at Ambidextrous but now you can say we've won three, two on the track and one in the stewards' room," said the trainer after the stewards allowed the placings to stand.

Odds-on favourite Islamabad was most impressive of the three two-year- old winners, bursting through the field to take the Waltergate Street Gallery Stakes by a length and three quarters after a sluggish start.

The jockey Paul Eddery reported that the colt who will probably have one more run before tackling either the Gimcrack Stakes or the Heinz 57 in Ireland, did not handle the track but simply outclassed his opposition.

"This is my first horse", said his owner Anthony Hussain. "Paul persuaded me to buy the horse after I met him on a plane back from Dubai."

David Evans was delighted with the victory of Rex Mundi in the Chester Summer Handicap as he was doubtful whether his five-year-old would last out the two miles.

"Some of my horses have not been running up to their mark at the track after seeming perfectly alright at home but when they went slowly in the first half a mile here I was confident we would win," he said.