McCoy victory lights up Doncaster

Persuaded out of retirement by Jack Berry to add star quality to the fundraising contest, McCoy will be glad he accepted the challenge as he steered the Brendan Powell-trained four-year-old to success from Billy Newnes, who was on Next Stop.

Unsurprisingly, given the amount of times McCoy has come to the rescue of punters, Gannicus returned the 7-2 favourite, while his rider was greeted with huge cheers from the crowds as he crossed the line and came back into the winner's enclosure.

McCoy, who ended a glittering racing career with a third-place finish on Box Office at Sandown in April, always seemed to be content with the way his mount was travelling as he took up the lead approaching the two furlong pole.

Having skipped a length or so clear against the stands' rail, the familiar sight of another McCoy winner loomed up large, but his rivals were not finished yet as Newnes and Luke Harvey on Big Storm Coming mounted their challenges.

Newnes in particular momentarily looked like being the party-pooper, but his momentum faded in the closing stages as McCoy added another victory to the 4,357 first time round.

"I'm having a bit of a blow now, but it's for a great cause," said McCoy. "It is for a great cause and fair play to Jack Berry, that is the reason why I did it. He has raised a lot of money and has done a lot of hard work for the Injured Jockeys' Fund. This is more of a thank you for him.

"Everything went to plan – it always goes to plan when they win. He travelled well, we got a good position and he stayed. He had run over a mile and a half so there was a good chance he was going to stay."

Looking back to last weekend, York staged a cracking card last Sunday and Jedd O'Keeffe was all smiles after Desert Ruler landed the nursery under Graham Lee.

The Middleham handler said: "Desert Ruler will now go for the Book 3 sales race at Newmarket next month. It will mean dropping back to six furlongs, but I think we'll get away with it as he's very smart."

Also looking very smart was George Dryden, who landed an ultra-competitive race in taking style for Ann Duffield and PJ McDonald.

Duffield said: "It was quite surprising that George Dryden won like he did first time last season as he's not really a two-year-old type. He's taken a while to come to himself this season, but he's a decent horse. He's not in the Ayr Gold Cup, but there are plenty of other races to go for."

It's hard to believe that it's St Leger day tomorrow at Doncaster. The oldest Classic could well go to William Haggas with Storm The Stars.

His connections are keeping their fingers crossed the race does not prove one run too many for the tough-as-teak colt.

The three-year-old is set to make his ninth appearance of the campaign in the season's final Classic, but undoubtedly sets the standard having been placed in both the Investec Derby at Epsom and the Irish Derby at the Curragh before clinching a deserved big-race success in last month's Great Voltigeur at York.

Maureen Haggas, wife of trainer William, feels the youngster has thrived on his racing and hopes he can run up to his best once more on Town Moor.

"He is an easy horse from the point of view that he gives 100 per cent. He is a tough horse, but is not the easiest at home, which is well documented," she said.

"If he performs like that on the track though, we can forgive him at home. He doesn't really do much at home as he doesn't really like going on the gallops.

"Early on he was not well-behaved and he looked like he needed more education and that is why we kept running him.

"He is more professional and it has brought him on and it doesn't seem to have done him any harm.

"Hopefully it will improve him (step up in trip), but you never really know until they get to the track.

"The signs are that he should be better over further, but it's the end of a long, hard year and he doesn't owe us anything.

"If we get one more good run out of him that would be great."