Fanning's homework rewarded as Time To Study pips Alabaster

Time To Study, sent off the 15/8 favourite, scrambled home by a head in a grandstand finish to the Edinburgh Gin's Edinburgh Cup at Musselburgh yesterday.

Joe Fanning was on form at Musselburgh. Picture: Getty Images

The Joe Fanning-ridden top-weight supplied Mark Johnston with his fourth win in the £80,000 handicap as he pipped Alabaster by a head with Euro Nightmare three quarters of a length back in third.

After the first running of the race over its new distance of 1m 6f, Fanning said: “He’s a big grand type of horse and did it well. The step up in trip helped and hopefully there is more to come. I’d say races of 1m 4f to 2m should suit him fine.”

Fanning, pictured, and Johnston completed a double when Thomas Cranmer made all to beat The Eagle’s Nest by a length and a half in the Ian Macleod Distillers Handicap.

Earlier, It Don’t Come Easy had lowered the 5f juvenile course record on his way to overhauling 2/5 favourite Rebel Assault by a head in the ebfstallions.com Edinburgh Castle Stakes.

The previous best, set by Arasong in May 1994, was bettered by a mere .04sec by Richard Fahey’s progressive colt who was ridden by Paul Hanagan.