BOOKMAKERS must have been feeling smug on Wednesday evening (July 23), when Salisbury Racecourse’s six-race meeting concluded with only two winning favourites, but not at overly short prices.

The meeting did see two significant successes in the face of beaten favourites, though; jockey Jason Watson rode a double, and one of the races saw a dead heat.

Read on for a full report on Wednesday’s card at Salisbury, courtesy of BoyleSports, who provide all the latest horse racing odds.

The afternoon’s racing began with a seven-furlong amateur jockey’s handicap (2.15pm). Guiteau was our favourite here, for Faye Bramley, but he never made it further forward than midfield.

In the closing stages, there were a number of runners with a chance of winning, and three crossed the line at once; 9/1 shot Mashaan, Endowed at 12/1, but with his head in front was Patrick Chamings’ Amathus under Freddy Tett at 10/1, who held on for just long enough to win.

An even more surprising result came from race two – a six-furlong two-year-olds’ novice (2.50pm). The Juddmonte-owned Assiri Heights was our unsurprising favourite, but was slow away and was never a factor.

Instead, 28/1 shot Crown Of Light, stepped up to lead the field, and was never passed, simply striding further and further into the lead to eventually win by a decisive one and a half lengths under Hector Crouch. Inca Heights (11/2) and Bone Marra (9/2) were the ones to chase him home.

Next was a six-furlong two-year-old fillies’ novice (3.20pm). After a couple of non-runners were declared, the favourite was Warren Greatrex’s Lope El Fuego at 4/6 when the stalls opened.

She sat just behind leader Queen Evie, and went into the lead approaching the final furlong, but another pair were creeping up on either side of her; Distant Shore and Indy B, 11/2 and 16/1 respectively, crossing the line together in what a photo finish declared to be a dead heat.

Favourites were no luckier in the fourth race, a mile handicap (3.50pm). There were only five runners here after two non-runners were declared, and Ed Walker’s Moutai was the 11/10 favourite at the off.

She gradually took the lead, tracked by Political Power. The back marker was a 12/1 shot Kodi Fire, who was asked for effort with two furlongs to go by Jason Watson, who kept him going well enough to just nip the lead at the crucial stage, winning by a neck.

The penultimate race was a five-furlong handicap (4.20pm). It became one of the only races of the afternoon to yield a winning favourite, and a convincing one at that, despite what had been an open race on paper.

Moe’s Legacy was our favourite at 5/2; he was ridden in midfield by Jason Watson, who moved him up through the field gradually in the middle of the track into the lead. The pair eventually finished over three lengths ahead of the rest in a game performance.

Our finale was a handicap run over a mile and three quarters (4.53pm). This race had a flag start, and from the beginning, 5/2 favourite Navid, was the leader under Trevor Whelan.

With one furlong left to go, the pair faced a challenge from 12/1 shot Media Mogul, but they were never in any real danger, and became the victors by two lengths.

Salisbury results – Wednesday:

• 2.15pm – Amathus (10/1)
• 2.50pm – Crown Of Light (28/1)
• 3.20pm – Distant Shore (11/2) and Indy B (16/1)
• 3.50pm – Kodi Fire (12/1)
• 4.20pm – Moe’s Legacy (5/2F)
• 4.53pm – Navid (5/2F)