Seaside Punters Given The Boot

Boot'N Toot rocked punters at the seaside with a 100-1 success as he denied a plunge on well-backed favourite Topkat in the big race on Ladies' Day at Brighton.

A bumper summer holiday crowd were treated to a thrilling finish for the £30,000 totesport.com Brighton Challenge Cup as Jean-Pierre Guillambert just persuaded the Charles Cyzer-trained winner to hold off the final flourish of Topkat by a short-head.

The winner had taken up the running at the furlong-pole in a contest that saw few of the field really get into the race.

And the daughter of Mtoto stuck on gamely to hold the winner, who looked unlikely to take a hand when ridden two furlongs out but picked up in the closing stages to force a photograph.

"Fillies have a habit of going in and out of form and this filly has not been running particularly well," admitted Cyzer.

"But most of mine seem to go off at silly prices and she definitely had form which entitled her to have a chance today, particularly on decent ground which we got.

"We also changed the tactics because we have been trying to hold her up before now. She was given a positive ride and that probably had something to do with it too.

"We have been a bit out of form and it is a relief to get off the cold trainers' table, but hopefully we can have another winner or two now."

Topkat's trainer David Elsworth was magnanimous in defeat and did at least have the consolation of saddling an earlier winner in the totesport 0800 221 221 Fillies' Handicap when 14-1 chance Blue Lullaby scored under John Egan.

It was looking like being a good day for the bookies until Intriguing Glimpse became the first winning favourite of the afternoon when running out a clear-cut victor in the toteexacta Brighton Dash.