Venture Capitalist, a horse that helped to launch the training career of David Nicholls, was fatally injured at Redcar today.
In a bitter irony, the accident that brought about the demise of the 11-year-old came before the race won by his stablemate Fire Dome.
Venture Capitalist had to be put down after shattering a leg when he collided with a concrete post on the way to the start of the Marjorie McClelland Claiming Stakes.
The horse bolted with his young rider Tony Hamilton and dived under a rail about two furlongs from the start before hitting the the post.
Venture Capitalist's injuries were too severe for him to be saved but Hamilton, who came back to the weighing room in tears, escaped unscathed.
Venture Capitalist was trained in his early days by Richard Hannon and won the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot in 1994 before joining Nicholls.
He thrived at his new home in the north and in 1995 provided Nicholls with his first Group race when winning the Duke of York Stakes at York.
Nicholls was at Southwell today when news reached him of the demise of Venture Capitalist.
The devastated trainer said: "He's going to be a big miss. He was a grand old horse and I will always remember him as the horse that gave me my first Group winner as a trainer."
It was scant consolation for Nicholls when Fire Dome, ridden by Francis Norton, got up in the final strides to deny Ansellman by a head.
The stewards inquired into interference involving several runners before allowing the result to stand.
Struggling trainer Pat Gilligan's spirits were lifted as Derryquin provided the stable with its first success in nearly a year.
The 16-1 chance got his act together against some moderate opposition in the Faithful and Gould Handicap.
Expertly handled by Daragh O'Donohoe, he was kept up to his work in the final furlong to defeat Quids Inn by one and a quarter lengths.
Gilligan was mightily relieved as he made his first excursion to the winner's circle since the end of May last year.
"For us that was a 'get out of jail card'," he said. "We needed that so badly."
The records say that was Gilligan's first winner for 357 days but with only 27 runners in that time it's not so bad as it appears.
"I was only operating with six horses but have 10 now," he said. "In the first couple of years I was happy enough as some 45 per cent of them were placed.
"But since last May nothing much has gone right - the horses have simply been off colour."
Derryquin was winning for the first time since his juvenile days when he was trained by Roger Charlton.
"He used to be highly strung and things just got too much for him," said Gilligan.
"He had to be gelded and recently he's just been unlucky with bad draws."
Gift horse Baileys Prize came good when getting a narrow verdict over Late Arrival in the www.comeracing.co.uk Handicap.
He was running in the colours of Val Armstrong, from Stocksfield, Northumberland, who won him in a competition in 'Horse And Hound' magazine.
"The horse is owned by Paul Venner and originally Mrs Armstrong only had him to race for a year but the magazine agreed that she could have him for another year," said trainer Mark Johnston's wife Deirdre.
"I'm delighted that he's won as Mrs Armstrong is most enthusiastic and always brings along a good crowd to the races."
Baileys Prize was providing another fillip for the stallion career of Mister Baileys who won the 2000 Guineas for Johnston in 1994.
"Mark managed to train Mister Baileys' first winning offpsring Linden Grace and Mister Baileys needs another good year to keep things going," said Johnston.
The showcase race, the Tote Exacta 1-2 Fillies' Handicap, proved to be one for the bookmakers with Mother Corrigan scraping home by a short-head from Tous Les Jours.
The winner, visored for the first time, was tailed off last time so there was no surprise in a starting price of 33-1.
Her jockey Dean Mernagh incurred the wrath of the stewards and was banned for two days (May 26th-27th) for using his whip with excessive frequency and failing to give his mount time to respond.
Mernagh is now on the sidelines for six successive racing days having been banned for four days for irresponsible riding at Beverley on Saturday.
