Mukhayyam's game win is double delight for Easterby

Tim Easterby is eyeing a Goodwood appearance for on-form Mukhayyam. Picture: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

A winner at York last week, the game front-runner followed up the win of Bow Belles (14-1) for Easterby and David Allan in the Mick Gibbons Memorial Novice Stakes.

Ripon has often suited those who make the running on the round track and that was the case on the opening day of the Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival.

After three lifeless runs earlier in the season, Mukhayyam (4-1) has now been second twice and won two of his last five runs.

Fleeting Visit was a persistent challenger inside the final furlong, but Allan’s mount pulled three and a half lengths clear of the 3-1 favourite.

Easterby said: “He takes a lot of getting fit each season, but he’s very game. There might be a race at Goodwood for him, then he’ll go to the Ebor meeting.”

Bow Belles took a big step forward from her debut at the track in April to run out a ready winner as Saeed bin Suroor’s Moseeb disappointed.

Easterby said: “She ran very well first time up here and we wanted to take her to York, but the ground was too quick. She came home strongly today and was quite impressive.”

Tony Hamilton has forged a fruitful partnership with Roger Fell and the pair teamed up to win the Sky Bet Go-Racing-In-Yorkshire Summer Festival Handicap through Mulligatawny (3-1).

Hamilton said: “I was a bit worried as I had to give him a dig to get to the front and I wasn’t sure how much that had taken out of him.”

Richard Fahey’s Areen Heart was reeled in close to home by the Alan Brown-trained Shouranour in the VW Van Centre Handicap.

Sent off at 10-1, Josh Doyle persevered on the seven-year-old to win by half a length.