Peter Moore at Sandown Park Wednesday 20th September 2023

A four year wait for a turf winner was finally broken when Reigate trainer Peter Crate sent out four year old Harb to win the opener on a filthy wet day at Sandown on Wednesday.

Crate, last sent out a winner back in December, although he has been knocking on the winners door with six of the yards ten runners this year having finished in the first four.

Harb, under Tom Queally pulled away from the field to win by two and three quarter lengths from Bang on the bell and justify his favourite tag at the odds of 10-3.

The rain which had started to fall heavily just before racing started made the ground rapidly start to cut up with the official going now soft from Good to Soft after the second race had been run.

That second race on the card saw a titanic battle between the Andrew Blading trained Dambuster with Oisin Murphy on board and Callum Sheperd aboard Go Daddy.

Murphy just prevailed on the 17-2 shot by a head for Dambuster’s debut run. The 275,000 gns yearling, Kingman colt, is a brother to a useful 2 year old winner Boomer and half-brother to three winners.

Rossa Ryan was successful in the third race on the card on board the Clive Cox trained Navy Jack, who went off as the 9-4 favourite. Ryan getting the better of Rob Hornby on Kings Valley by a length and a quarter.

The feature race of the afternoon, The Chasemore Farm Fortune Stakes a Class 1 race went to the top weight Chindit. The Richard Hannon trained horse always runs well having finished second in the Lockinge at Newbury and recently in a 1 mile handicap at Haydock.

Despite a 5lb penalty the horse was given a super ride under Pat Dobbs to fend off the challenge of James Doyle on board Knight by a head.

The fifth race of the afternoon went to the Roger Varian trained filly Classic Times with David Egan in the saddle.

The horse was hooded for her handicap debut and stayed on well to win going away by five and a half lengths.

Tom Queally bought up a double for the afternoon on Miller Spirit in the penultimate race of the day. Wearing cheekpieces, the gelding won by two lengths at the price of 5-1.

The final race of a wet and soggy afternoon went to James Doyle on the Joseph Parr trained three year old Kaminika who kept on well to beat Murphy on Kynsa.