Adrian Keatley’s Wobwobwob was a winner worth waiting for as he landed a huge gamble to take the Virgin Bet Ayr Silver Cup.

The five-year-old delayed the race whilst being re-shod at the start and then left the stalls the 9-2 favourite after clearly inspiring confidence in connections and punters alike.

Hollie Doyle was aboard and ensured their faith was repaid as she stuck to her guns down the middle of the track and threw down a challenge with a furlong remaining.

At the half-furlong marker the duo still had to pass Michael Dods’ Tinto but did so with a handful of strides remaining to seal a half-length victory.

“It was a muddling old race, everyone was swapping and changing pitches,” Doyle told ITV Racing.

“He didn’t jump as sharp as I’d like, he’s usually a front runner but obviously he couldn’t go the pace today but he’s just outstayed them. He’s knuckled down and was tough.

“It’s a different way of racing for him and a different style, it was good to see him stepping back down in trip. He’s just outstayed them on this slow ground.

“As you can see, he’s a bit of a legend and his owners love him to bits!”

Keatley added of the victory: “It’s a good race to win, the Gold Cup is on my bucket list so it’s nice to get that one today.

“We were on the right side of the track and we’d something to aim at, that was the big thing.”

Revich got up in the shadow of the post to win the Virgin Bet Handicap two years after winning it previously and having finished third in it 12 months ago.

Doyle was on board for Richard Spencer and owners Middleham Park Racing and said: “I didn’t really plan to be that far back but I couldn’t have gone much quicker, the pace was quite genuine and he dug deep when it’s mattered.

“He clearly thrives here and he loves this type of ground, it’s quite tiring.”

Legendary Day is unlikely to be seen back over hurdles any time soon having gained his biggest pay day to date in the Betfred Mallard Handicap at Doncaster.

Trained by Adrian Keatley, the five-year-old was bought out of Hughie Morrison’s yard as a dual-purpose prospect, yet despite winning on his first attempt over timber, two subsequent defeats tempered enthusiasm.

In any case, when you have a Flat horse capable of winning £60,000 handicaps you are probably better off sticking to what you know and that is what Keatley, an Irish 1,000 Guineas-winning trainer with Jet Setting when still based in his homeland, intends to do.

It was a narrow success – one of the biggest of 3lb claimer Mark Winn’s career – having been left in front a long way from home, but Legendary Day (12-1) held off 33-1 chance Oneforthegutter by a short-head.

Keatley said: “We bought him for 8,500 guineas to do both and he’s won over £70,000 for us now, but I won’t be in a rush to go back hurdling with him as he’s not a natural. He did win first time over them but he’s not good at getting in and popping, so he could damage himself with his technique.

“There’s nothing wrong with his technique on the Flat. He’s been knocking on the door in these sort of races. Joe Fanning rode him at York earlier in the season and was adamant he’d win one. Oisin (Murphy) rode him the last day in a big race at York and was very happy with him also.

“I said to Mark today, I just thought with his 3lb it might help us get there and it did.

“I’d been watching Mark for a while, he’s a good rider and an astute young man with a good head on his shoulders and I just thought that 3lb would be crucial.

“He was following the fancied one (The Goat) who quickly fell away, so he found himself in front and there was nothing he could do. Thankfully it worked.”

Keatley went on: “We’ve had a good year. We restocked in the middle of last year, we’ve 21 boxes, we rotate as we go and keep it as fresh as we can.

“These are the days you want to have winners, the big meetings.”

Winn said: “He travelled through the race lovely but when I asked him he found it a bit too well and I was in front a long time.

“He has cheekpieces for a reason, but even so he stuck at it very well. It was tight enough and you never like to be too confident.”

Richard Hannon’s Circe had shown up well on her debut at Sandown earlier in the month and had little trouble opening her account at the second attempt in the Coopers Marquees EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

In truth, not many got involved, with Marie Ellen trying to see them all off from the front but Sean Levey always looked confident.

The 3-1 favourite hit the front still on the bridle just over a furlong out and despite looking green in the closing stages, won by a length and a half.

Levey said: “She was very impressive, we liked her first time and she ran in a quality race, beaten by two horses with experience.

“We hoped she’d stepped forwards and she has. I would have liked to have seen her put her head down a bit more and run right through the line, but I didn’t really get a chance to do that as she did it too easy.

“She’s a big horse with plenty of scope and she’ll make a nice three-year-old.”

William Buick guided the George Boughey-trained Baradar (100-30 favourite) to an easy win in the Doncaster Groundworks Reinforcements Handicap, while Ralph Beckett’s Mistressofillusion (7-2) made all in the British EBF Ruby Anniversary Premier Fillies’ Handicap.

Adrian Keatley already has Classic aspirations for Richmond Stakes runner-up Ballymount Boy, who is likely to step up to seven furlongs for the Tattersalls Acomb Stakes later this month.

The Irishman, who now trains in North Yorkshire, saddled Jet Setting to beat Minding in the 2016 Irish 1,000 Guineas and believes he has found another candidate to tackle the biggest races over a mile next term.

Although sent off 25-1 at Goodwood for his first taste of Group action, the son of Camacho confirmed Keatley’s high opinion of the colt to get within a length of toppling 11-8 favourite Vandeek.

And now he is keen to step up in trip with his talented two-year-old at York’s Ebor Festival, for a race won 12 months ago by subsequent 2000 Guineas hero Chaldean.

“It was what we were expecting, we wouldn’t have taken him down to Goodwood if we weren’t expecting a big run and that’s the level we hold him at,” said Keatley.

“I think he will improve again and he can step up another grade again.

“He will probably go for the Acomb next and then we will go from there. It’s seven furlongs and we’ll try to get him to win at Group Three level before stepping up again.

“He’s a very good horse who we hold in high regard and hopefully he will be my next Guineas horse. It’s been a while since I’ve had my last one, so I could do with another one.”

However, one of Keatley’s string who will not be seen on the Knavesmire is the prolific Kihavah, who will miss the rest of the season through injury.

The six-year-old has won four times on the level during the current campaign and was being pointed towards the £500,000 Sky Bet Ebor, but will now be on the sidelines until the new year when he could be sent on some international assignments.

“Kihavah has picked up an injury and won’t be running for the rest of the Flat season,” continued Keatley.

“We might look at campaigning him abroad in the new year with a view to going back for the Ebor or some of the big mile-and-a-half handicaps next season.”

Kihavah may drop in trip for the Sky Bet York Stakes on Saturday week ahead of a potential crack at the Ebor next month.

Classic-winning trainer Adrian Keatley feels his stable star, who has a handicap mark of 98, may have to win another race to ensure a place in the Sky Bet-sponsored feature handicap.

Having won his previous four races, including once over hurdles, Kihavah finished a game second to Saeed bin Suroor’s Live Your Dream at Newmarket last week.

“We might run Kihavah at York as a prep run for the Ebor as he’s short a couple of pounds on 98, he might need another couple to make sure he gets in,” said Keatley, who won the 2016 Irish 1,000 Guineas with Jet Setting.

“He’s got his confidence back, he had a couple of issues with his wind in the past, which we’ve played around with, and we seem to have found the key to him now.

“It was a massive run last week at Newmarket but the rain came a bit soon as it just made it a bit loose. Half a mile from home I thought he had no chance, but he pulled it out of the bag again.

“He’s a very big horse, he was very lean when I got him but he seems to be holding his condition now and taking his training better. Hopefully if he gets into the Ebor, he could be a good representative for us.

“We were thinking of Market Rasen this weekend, but when you are talking of races like the Ebor being a possibility, we can always go back jumping later.

“He’s very much a top-of-the-ground horse and because the ground got so loose last week it was a harder race than expected, so that was another reason we missed Market Rasen this weekend.”

The Sky Bet York Stakes is on the final day of the Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival which gets under way on Friday at Pontefract and concludes at York on Saturday week.