Squance Pounces on Chance for First Win

Newmarket, home to some of the biggest Flat operations in the business, including Godolphin, also has room for trainers like Michael Squance. His six-horse Hamilton Road yard may never mix it with the might of the boys in blue, but Squance wore the smile of one who had tasted Classic victory when he saddled his first winner here yesterday.

Squance, who "has only been going about six weeks", got off the mark when Jamie Spencer threaded his way through the field to win the Weatherbys Bank Fillies Handicap, netting connections the princely sum of £2,331.

"The prize money is terrible," he said, "but this is job done. I thought Hessian would win at Kempton last time but one of the stalls handlers had still got hold of her tail when she went out of the gates."

Squance, who is up and running but "could do with a few more owners", was formerly assistant to Paul Howling. He secured the services of Spencer for Hessian after the filly's booked rider, Natalia Gemelova, was involved in a car crash. "She's all right, a bit shaken, but wrote her car off," said the trainer.

Jeremy Noseda is well established at Newmarket and he will no doubt survive the recent removal of four horses from his yard by Saleh Al Homeizi and Imad Al Sagar, the owners of last year's Derby winner Authorized, to Peter Chapple-Hyam.

Noseda was not present but might have allowed himself a wry grin after his three-year-old, Sir Billy Nick, had beaten Moksi, sporting the Authorized colors, into fourth spot in the mile maiden.

Named after the legendary Tottenham Hotspur manager, Bill Nicholson, Sir Billy Nick races for the enthusiastic N17 Partnership. He stretched out well for a two-lengths win in what could have been a fair Lingfield maiden by midweek standards.

It was confirmed yesterday that Mick Fitzgerald is to have a second operation on his neck following his fall in the Grand National on Saturday. The first eight-hour operation on Sunday to realign three vertebrae and two discs was a success.

Fitzgerald, 37, sustained the injury after being unshipped from L'Ami at the second fence at Aintree. A statement posted on the website of the Professional Jockeys' Association said: "Jeremy Fairbanks, an orthopaedic surgeon who performed an operation on a neck injury Mick sustained two years ago, will be performing a planned required second operation."

The jockey was moved to a private hospital in Liverpool, pending a move to an Oxford hospital close to his home.

Peter Chapple-Hyam's Cape Amber was popular with the sponsors for the Stan James 1,000 Guineas yesterday, shortening to 9-1 following Aidan O'Brien's announcement that Listen would miss the fillies' Classic.

Ron Cox's tip of the day

Boz 8.20 Kempton

Luca Cumani made a grand job of placing this colt, by Grand Lodge, last season and there is almost certainly better to come. The handicapper has given Boz a chance to extend his

winning run to six, as he is just 2lb higher than when gaining his latest victory at Wolverhampton. That was over 1m5f but Boz is effective over this shorter trip and he clearly goes very well on the Polytrack.