Intervention lifts Great St Wilfrid honours at Ripon

Intervention landed the William Hill/MND Association Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon for Mick Appleby and The Horse Watchers syndicate.

The eight-year-old – having the 106th start of his career and had just one prior turf success to his name from 38 tries – burst clear under rising star apprentice jockey William Pyle two furlongs out for a clear-cut success.

The 16-1 chance finished a long way clear on his own on the far side, with Kodiac Thriller doing best of the rest a length and a quarter away on the near side. First Folio was third, with Alzahir fourth.

Appleby had entered the classy Annaf who was due to carry top-weight, but when the declarations came through on Thursday Intervention was his sole representative.

Brothers Chris and Martin Dixon formed The Horse Watchers with former Timeform colleague Matthew Taylor and the syndicate is going from strength to strength.

“It is very rare these days for us both to be racing at the same course, especially on a Saturday, but it was no big plan, the truth is we took the kids to Lightwater Valley (theme park) and have dropped in on the way home, we got here with 10 minutes to spare,” said Chris Dixon.

“To be fair Martin did say to me yesterday he thought we had a chance so we were planning a way we could get here and doing that was the best way to do it!

“It was one of those where you would have been thinking of the consolation race for him, but that isn’t there anymore it’s just a normal 0-80 handicap and he’s rated 83 so didn’t get in.

“We were looking at the entries and it looked like he’d get in so Martin said straight away ‘let’s book a top apprentice to take a few pounds off’ so we got William booked straight away and he moved a day of a ban so he could ride.”

He added: “If there was ever a grand plan for this horse it was to try to get him to win his 100th race and he was second at Brighton!”