JOCKEY Jonathan Burke rode a winner on his first visit to Cartmel when Midnight Shot claimed a game victory for Charlie Longsdon’s Chipping Norton stables.

Burke’s mount looked like being overhauled on the long run-in after a two mile and five furlong handicap chase, but the eight-year-old responded well to his rider’s urgings for a length success.

The Irishman, who has recently returned from injury, said: “It is great to be here. I have always watched it on TV and you see the atmosphere and people in the middle and the fairground. It is great to ride a winner on my first go.”

Midnight Shot was returning to form, and Burke added: “He is a credit to Charlie and all his staff. He won two or three before I moved over last year and then we won a big pot in Uttoxeter with him.

“He went on to run in the Topham at Aintree and just got a bit of a fright at the fences. He is not the biggest, but he is a very agile jumper. He probably just found the Aintree fences too much of an effort and it has taken a while to get him back.”

Stepover gained a fifth career success for Alex Hales’s Edgcote stables, near Banbury, when taking a two-mile mares’ handicap hurdle at Worcester in the hands of Kielan Woods.

On the Flat, East Ilsley trainer Hughie Morrison saw his enterprising German raid with Star Rock agonisingly foiled when his charge was beaten by a head in a Group 2 contest at Baden-Baden.

Sent off the 17-10 favourite for the T Von Zastrow Stutenpreis over a mile and a half, the four-year-old filly was produced by Rene Piechulek to challenge Sky Full Of Stars at the furlong pole, but was just unable to edge past Marc Lerner’s mount.

Morrison enjoyed better fortune on these shores with a 23-1 across-the-card treble made up of wins by Indian Viceroy (1-2 favourite) and Deadly Accurate (9-2) at Epsom plus Requited’s 2-1 triumph at Southwell.

And he made it three winners at Epsom in the space of two days when Majestic Mac broke his duck with a two-and-a-quarter length success in a seven-furlong nursery with Charlie Bennett on board.

The East Ilsley handler will also be looking forward to the return of Jedhi to the track after the three-year-old filly got off the mark by romping home in a mile-and-a-half handicap at Kempton under Robert Havlin.

Shaun Lycett sent out The King’s Steed from his Leafield stables, near Witney, to land a seven-furlong handicap at Wolverhampton in the hands of champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa.

Paul Cole, who trains at Whatcombe, near Wantage, saw his own vivid green colours carried to victory by Arctic Sea at Lingfield, and he also struck with Assassinate at Chepstow in the last race before the meeting was abandoned due to concerns over the safety of the ground.