WEST Ilsley trainer Mick Channon’s plan to produce Elidor to strike on his seasonal debut was rewarded with a thrilling victory in the totepool Barry Hills Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham.

The seven-year-old gelding, who has won big handicaps at Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood, notched his first Listed Race success when getting the better of a terrific tussle with Wall Of Fire by a nose in the mile-and-six-furlong contest under Silvestre de Sousa.

Channon said: “He’s been so well for so long that we couldn’t wait to get him going this time around.

“He goes well fresh and at times he cons you in to thinking he can go again and then he disappoints because we’ve learnt that he needs a certain amount of space between his races.

“I’m glad we got it right today and I must say that when a horse is delivered like that inside the final stages, very few times does Silvestre de Sousa get beat. He’s brilliant at that.”

Chilton-based jockey Robert Winston overcame trouble in running on Second Thought to capture the valuable 32Red 3 Year Old All-Weather Championships Conditions Stakes at Lingfield.

The William Haggas-trained three-year-old showed a smart turn of foot once switched by Winston to lift the £93,375 first prize by a comfortable half-length from Visionary.

Winston had teamed up earlier in the week with East Ilsley trainer Hughie Morrison to land a mile and a quarter handicap at Nottingham with Outcrop, who, after being unruly in the preliminaries, led all the way to win by one and a half lengths from Bedouin.

Regal Gait, from Harry Whittington’s Sparsholt stables, carried owner Paul Jacobs’ colours, to victory in a one-mile-six-furlong handicap at Chelmsford City, with Harry Bentley on board.

At Kempton, Whatcombe trainer Paul Cole sent out Plunger to make a winning debut in a five-furlong juvenile novice stakes, with the son of Helmet coming home a length and a half clear.