JOHN WEYMES proved that it sometimes pays to persevere when Linden's Lady ended a losing sequence stretching back three years in the Derek Winlow's Selling Handicap at Thirsk's meeting last night, writes Colin Woods (Janus).

"She's got lots of problems, mainly between her ears," joked John after the five-year-old mare comfortably out-pointed Robwillcall, in the one-mile contest. "She's a proper madam, we have to lead her to the start otherwise she just plants herself, and it's the same on the gallops in the morning," added the Middleham-based trainer, who after those comments was not surprisingly able to retain Linden's Lady without a bid in the subsequent auction.

There was a shock result in the Beatrice Stephenson Maiden Stakes when 18-1 outsider Suits Me upset the hot favourite, Just Observing.

Even though Suits Me hit the front at the furlong pole, it just looked a matter of time before Just Observing swallowed him up. However, the latter appeared to put his head in the air allowing Suits Me to maintain a decisive advantage all the way to the line. "This is my first visit to the course although I've had four runners here before. Suits Me is a smashing colt and I would have really fancied him if my horses hadn't performed so poorly over the previous two months," said the winning Newmarket handler, Julian Poulton.

David Barker is enjoying by far and away his best season, racking up another winner by virtue of Mint's victory in the two-year-old EBF Calverts Carpets Maiden Stakes.

Mint, disqualified from third place for ducking violently left on her most recent start, almost threw it away again by repeating the same wayward trick. "We had 18 three years ago, but this is amazing and what else can I say? We've only got 26 boxes, but that's my 27th winner from 20 horses to have run so far," reported Barker, who trains at Scorton, not far from Catterick racecourse.

Niteowl Lad landed both the nap selection and the feature race of the night by blitzing his 12 rivals in the five-furlong £10,000 Weatherbys Insurance Handicap. David Allan cleverly covered up Niteowl Lad behind the leaders until the final furlong when he kicked in the turbo and flashed by the opposition still in cruise control.

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