Bowman is local hero for Laura Mongan at Epsom

‘Can you believe I train a mile away yet this is my first winner here’.

Local trainer Laura Mongan celebrated her first success at Epsom when 80-1 shot Bowman made most of the running to win the Cazoo Derby Festival Handicap.

Owned by her parents, Bowman is more used to Kempton on a Wednesday evening than a packed Epsom on Ladies Day. But he was well up for the challenge.

William Carson, grandson of former champion jockey Willie, gained an advantage coming down the hill he was not to relinquish, holding off Lord Rapscallion by a length.

“Everyone must have heard us cheering, we’re super-excited and it’s a brilliant result,” said Mongan.

“He’s family-owned and god knows why he was that price, if he can get to the front he’s a superstar.

“I had to convince my parents to run him, too, as they don’t like the crowds so much.

“We were drawn badly, but if he can get to the front he’s a nice horse and William was brilliant on him. It means a lot. Can you believe I train a mile away yet this is my first winner here.”

Mick Channon won the Cazoo Woodcote British EBF Stakes for the first time in 10 years as Ascot-bound Legend Of Xanadu streaked down the middle of the track

William Buick was content to tuck in from his wide draw and then made his challenge widest of all, sweeping by leader Commander Straker at the furlong marker and while Hugo Palmer’s Self Praise flew home, he could only get within a length and a quarter of the 4-1 joint-favourite.

Jack Channon, assistant to his father, said: “Dad is at home today. He might come tomorrow as we have two runners. It is a big old crowd and he has plenty of work on at home. He is a cracking home-bred and that was a great performance.

“He is a lovely horse and always has been from day one. Everyone keeps saying he needs further, but you have only got to look at the horse to see his is built like a two-year-old and he is certainly proving that.

“He said to stick at six as he has so much speed. Today he showed he can stay as they went hard and he stayed on really well up the hill. I’d say the Chesham would be the obvious route now, as this is not a Listed race and he won’t have penalty going into that, so that would be the obvious route.”

Totally Charming and William Buick (left) win the World Pool Handicap
Totally Charming and William Buick (left) win the World Pool Handicap (John Walton/PA)

Buick made it an immediate double on the card with a well-timed run aboard Totally Charming (4-1 joint-favourite) who was daringly produced through a gap between horses with two furlongs to go in the World Pool Handicap.

The George Boughey-trained four-year-old was always well positioned to follow up his All-Weather Vase Mile Handicap success at Lingfield and Buick sat in behind the pace before producing the lightly-raced Charming Thought gelding, who made it four wins from eight career starts.

Boughey said: “He’s been training good. The ground was a bit of a question mark as he’s been doing his winning on the all-weather but he’s progressive.

“He’s a horse we’ve put in the Hunt Cup, but over the last 10 or 12 years he wouldn’t have got in off that mark 91 so we thought we’d come here.

Betfair cut Totally Charming to 12-1 from 25-1 for the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot on June 15.

Royal Champion was a 14-1 winner of the Cazoo Handicap for Andrea Atzeni and Roger Varian.

The four-year-old was running for the first time since being gelded and struck up the middle of the track, brushing off a late challenge from both Good Birthday and Soto Sizzler to triumph by two and a quarter lengths.

Betfair revised the horse’s Royal Ascot Hunt Cup odds from 20-1 to 12-1 and trimmed his John Smith’s Cup odds from 16-1 to 10-1.

Hugo Palmer’s Ever Given was a game winner of the Listed Poundland Surrey Stakes, striking at 16-5 under Danny Tudhope.

Ever Given winning the Poundland Surrey Stakes
Ever Given winning the Poundland Surrey Stakes (John Walton/PA)

The three-year-old bounced back from a beaten run in the Sandy Lane at Haydock to triumph by a length from George Boughey’s Oscula when stepping down in grade and up in trip.

“This was always the plan after Chester, really, but we threw our hat into the ring at Haydock and came home severely reprimanded by the quality of the race,” said Palmer.

“I was really worried that might have taken the edge off him, but he’s forgiven the trainer’s mistakes and come back and done us proud.

“He tries very hard, but he won’t raise a gallop at home which makes him a very difficult horse to judge. I dare say we’ll run him in the Jersey now (at Royal Ascot), but we’ll see.”

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