Roberts reaches milestone

Michael Roberts achieved his 3,900th worldwide success and Rosse put the disappointment of her recent poor Ascot run behind her in the fillies' conditions stakes at Yarmouth yesterday. Roberts' weighing-room colleague Richard Quinn also had an afternoon to remember, riding a 367-1 treble.

Michael Roberts achieved his 3,900th worldwide success and Rosse put the disappointment of her recent poor Ascot run behind her in the fillies' conditions stakes at Yarmouth yesterday. Roberts' weighing-room colleague Richard Quinn also had an afternoon to remember, riding a 367-1 treble.

Roberts was content to sit in behind on the 13-8 favourite as the majority of the pace was cut out by Miss Orah.

Rosse's trainer, Geoff Wragg, was at a loss to explain the filly's performance at Ascot. "After the race the course vet said she looked a bit stiff behind but after he looked at her he trotted her and she was perfectly all right," he said. Roberts, commenting on his achievement, said the next target is 4,000 winners. "That's the next big ambition," he said.

The disappointment of the race was Godolphin's representative, Journalist, who was friendless in the market, struggled to reach the pace and trailed in last of the sextet.

Another Newmarket trainer, Ben Hanbury, hit double figures for the season when Willoughby's Boy ploughed a lone furrow down the stands side for an all the way victory in the Stanley M Threadwell Memorial Handicap. However, the winning jockey, David Harrison, despite following the trainer's instructions on tactics to the letter, still managed to gain the wrath of Hanbury when he weighed out 1lb overweight for the race.

"The ground here is always fastest down this side and I told David Harrison to come down here," Hanbury said. "I gave the jockey a rollicking though for being overweight. Jockeys should never be overweight."

Warlingham instigated a three-timer for Quinn, who was also successful on Dance West (100-30) for Henry Cecil and Fahs (15-2) in the last for Nigel Hamilton.

The opening seller went to Titus Bramble, who was named after the Ipswich Town footballer by the gelding's owner and fan of the club, the tipster Henry Rix. The three-year-old, who was retained by Rix at the subsequent auction, got up close home to win by half a length.