Shooting Light is tickled with Pink win

William Hill chairman John Brown left his colleagues cursing after Shooting Light landed a massive ante-post gamble when taking the Stg£100,000 Thomas Pink Gold Cup today.

Brown, who had already done punters one big favour when proposing the scrapping of betting duty, became even more popular as his eight-year-old gelding ran out a convincing winner of the biggest jumps race so far this season.

Having been available at 5-1 with Coral after the publication of the weights for this event, Shooting Light was backed down at all rates to 7-4 before drifting out on course to start the 9-4 favourite.

Not that it was all plain sailing in the race as Shooting Light made at least two bad jumping errors in the early stages which forced champion jockey Tony McCoy to sit tight.

But McCoy sensibly switched his mount to the outside of the field, allowing him to see plenty of daylight, which made all the difference.

As early pacesetters Satchmo and Dorans Gold dropped away, Shooting Light suddenly took the advantage and at the second-last fence only Foly Pleasant looked a possible danger.

That rival stuck to his task gamely under Jim Culloty on the run-in but was three lengths down at the line with fellow 10-1 shot Exit Swinger a further five lengths back in third.

With Cadougold staying on for fourth, trainer Martin Pipe`s trio of runners all finished in the first four placings - a remarkable feat for the trainer who sent out the first and second 12 months earlier.

McCoy admitted that the race 'didn`t go to plan'.

'I thought he would travel better but he didn`t travel as well as when he won last time,' the rider explained.

'He jumped a bit stickily up the straight, he was a bit messy at the first in the straight and the one in front of the stands. I thought I was in a bit of trouble so I pulled him out to the outside.