THE cheers were long and loud as the Linda Mullins-trained El Boss showed just who was the boss in the RD Racing Oxfordshire Gold Cup final.

The black dog, owned by Italian film producer Mario Lanfranchi, wrote his name in the record books as the only hound ever to land the Pall Mall and Gold Cup in the same year.

Sent off an even money favourite, there was only one dog in it as Boss hit the traps in style to post a sectional time of 4.09, nearly two lengths up on Flasher Mac as they zipped past the post for the first time.

Boss was well clear of Wath Serenade going into the first bend as Ian Wills's charge, Go Go Zodiac, was crowded along with Flasher Mac.

Down the back straight, Boss's backers were already celebrating, and, although Serenade stuck to his task, he couldn't get on terms with El Boss, who had one and three-quarter lengths to spare at the line.

Zodiac can take some credit for finishing a creditable third, considering the crowding at the first turn.

However, the meeting didn't get off to the best of starts after a kennel hand tripped the switch on the traps to unleash the only four dogs loaded for the opening race.

It then took almost an hour to run the first three races. And the delays seemed to get longer and longer as the evening went on, no doubt due to races being delayed in order to allow punters to get their bets on the tote.

The opening RD Sprint went to Shirley Gilliland's Dawlish Davis before Linda Jones produced 6-4 favourite Countrywide Star to land the Ivy Ayward Stakes in fine style.

Before the RD Racing British Bred Stakes, punters, couldn't believe the 25-1 on offer for a Mullins runner, New Issue. And when Issue came storming up the run-in to win by a head over Lynmore Dazzler, they couldn't believe their luck.