Tony McCoy treats Perth to a winner as Cappagh sees off favourite Reland

CHAMPION jockey Tony McCoy had a mixed day at Perth yesterday on the opening day of the 'Glorious Finale' meeting, winning on 4-1 shot Cappagh for Philip Hobbs, but having to pull up his other two mounts of the day.

Sadly, McCoy heads for Fontwell this afternoon instead of Perth, but he at least treated Scottish racegoers to a winner as Cappagh cruised to victory in the Edward Massie Brown Classic Novices' Handicap Chase.

Having been held up in the rear of the field, McCoy's mount did not need to come off the bit as he first cruised alongside the 5-4 favourite Reland, then nonchalantly nosed past him to win the two-mile contest by a length-and-a-quarter, although the margin was no true reflection of the winner's superiority.

Reland is trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies and while he was denied that prize, he had already bagged his customary Perth winner in the opener as 6-1 Frontier Spirit stayed on well to beat Lucinda Russell's Devotion To Duty. McCoy had a distant view of the finish after pulling up his struggling mount Promising Mount two flights from home.

McCoy's partner Valerius also failed to complete the course in the feature race of the day, the Sodexo Prestige Handicap Chase, which was won by 14-1 outsider Soubriquet, ridden by Ryan Mania.

Favourites Riverscape (2-5) and Al Dafa (11-8) made it a double for Gordon Elliott's yard in the claimer and juvenile hurdle respectively, while Russell got among the winners when Bescot Springs (9-2) scored in the closing Stanjames.com Handicap Hurdle.

At Perth today, Elliott's prolific eight-year-old Supercede is napped to win the SIS Novices' Chase.

Elsewhere, Godolphin ensured they have a plausible chance of finally cracking the Emirates Melbourne Cup as Holberg passed his Australian preliminaries in the Listed Mouton Cadet Classic Foundation Stakes at Goodwood. Boasting three second places and a third at Flemington from previous raids, the latest coming through Crime Scene a year ago, the team have certainly been close and Holberg will now enter quarantine with his stablemate Campanologist.

At a distance only three-fifths of the Cup, the five-runner Foundation Stakes on a sedate afternoon was a world away from the frenzy which will face Holberg on the first Tuesday in November, and Frankie Dettori ensured last year's Queen's Vase winner was not caught flat-footed out in front.

The 11-10 favourite had returned from a break with a respectable second to Laaheb in the September Stakes and was given a late fright by Pink Symphony, who briefly headed him in the closing stages but was usurped as they flashed past the line.

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor said: "He will be better over a longer distance. Two miles will suit him and he will go into quarantine on Sunday with Campanologist.We have been close in the past and it will be good to have two horses going there again."

Dettori has not picked a mount yet, but said: "This horse has got 53.5 kilos in the race, which is a better weight than Campanologist (56 kgs) but we need to see how they travel there.

"There's a lot of water to go under the bridge. I was supposed to ride Kayf Tara over there, he would have won a minute, but he broke down before the race."

Coral kept Holberg's Cup odds at 25-1.