Circus tops in Wood Ditton Night Circus came out on top from a protracted scrap with Jalela to win the bet365 Wood Ditton Maiden Stakes at Newmarket. The two horses fought out the finish for a long way, but Charlie Appleby's colt just had the edge in the hands of William Buick. Jalela and Night Circus (13-2) became embroiled in a bit of late barging, but the stewards left the placings unaltered, with three-quarters of a length the winning distance. Fellow Appleby inmate Mark Of Approval caught the eye from off the pace to finish third, another neck away from the winner. Elyaasaat, the 7-4 favourite, was prominent for a long way in a five-horse group towards the far side, but his effort petered out at the business end. Appleby said: "I'm just pleased the way the horse travelled through the race and his home work had been nice. "He's been pleasing us at home and William did a great job with him and hopefully he'll go forward from here. I was confident he was fit enough to do a job. "He needed plenty of time last year as he was very raw as a two-year-old, he was a big baby and hopefully he'll come forward from this." He added: "I didn't ask William about a step up (in trip), but he just said keep him where he is at the moment. "I think in time you'll see more improvement when he goes over further as it was not until he hit the rising ground that he put the race to bed. "Our horses are definitely more forward than we've had them and it's nice to have the first winner at Newmarket. Long may it continue."
