AT 86, Mick Easterby is still banging out the winners and he weighed in with a treble at Redcar’s Easter Monday meeting.

The veteran Sheriff Hutton trainer and young jockey Nathan Evans scored a double at Redcar’s opening meeting of the season a week ago and went one better today (Monday).

Carlton Frankie readily justified favouritism in the first race, Roller enjoyed his return to turf by easily taking the Racing UK Straight Mile Handicap Stakes, and StubyTuesday sealed the hat-trick in the last race.

It was a first treble for three-pound claimer Evans who hails from Northern Ireland.

Easterby was dancing a jig in the winner’s enclosure, saying: “It’s going very nicely – I’m not going to argue.”

Asked about how long he was likely to continue training, he replied: “I have a drink every night in The Highwayman in Sheriff Hutton, I don’t go to bed ‘til one in the morning and I’m up before six. I’m like a spring chicken.”

The feature race of a sun-kissed Easter Monday card, the Market Cross Jewellers Handicap Stakes, was won by Wentworth Falls under a powerful ride from Phillip Makin. Trained by Geoff Harker at Thirsk and owned by a syndicate largely made up of regulars at The Foxhound Inn at Scarborough, the grey now has the loftiest of targets.

Foxhound Inn Licensee Wayne Bavill said: “That’s the third time he’s won – it’s a dream come true for all of us. The aim is for him to run at Royal Ascot.”

It was a special day for 11-year-old Olivia Renshaw, of Middlesbrough, who had the seventh race named in her honour after winning a competition to design the racecard. Olivia even picked the winner of her own race, Cavalieri, with mum Claire Kane having a winning bet.

“We’ve had a lovely day and to back the winner of Olivia’s race made it even better,” said Claire.

  • Apprentice Hollie Doyle was being assessed at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough last night following a fall from Champagne Queen in the last race.