Warwick provides a winning alternative for Haggis

Warwick’s eight-race card was billed as the Alternative Ascot, with racegoers encouraged to dress up for the occasion.

With heavy rain having fallen the day before, the ground was very much on the soft side, resulting in a number of non-runners.

However, it still proved difficult to find winners with just one favourite obliging all afternoon.

The scene had been set in the opening CommScope IPatch For Energy Claiming Stakes over a mile when market leader Abidhabidubai just failed to overhaul Nezami in a finish where the first three home were all ridden by apprentices.

Aarti was sent off a well-backed 6-4 shot to take the second, the LMG Smartspace Maiden Fillies’ Stakes for trainer Haggis and jockey Liam Jones, but she made no impression behind Minalisa, who was pushed clear in the final furlong by Chris Catlin to easily beat Gladiatrix and Funcheon Vale.

With both Petite Georgia and Clean Blow absentees, just four went to post for the Royce Communications Prestige Businesspartner EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes, with Mrs Warren the 6-4 favourite to step up on her debut sixth behind Tassel at Newmarket.

William Carson had Mrs Warren at the head of affairs from the off, but the combination could not resist the late run of Columella and Jones who led 100 yards from the line to score comfortably by one-and-three-quarter lengths and make up for the disappointment of Aarti in the previous race.

Jockey Barry McHugh is in good form and chalked up his 16th winner of the season aboard Best Trip for Yorkshire trainer Brian Ellison in the seven-furlong handicap, coming over to the favoured stand rail and leading one furlong out to hold off Mata Hari Blue.

On a good afternoon for apprentices, the promising Raul Da Silva made all the running in the fifth on 100-30 favourite Rockme Cockney, a daughter of the 2007 Stan James 2,000 Guineas winner Cockney Rebel, who appreciated the soft ground and just saw off the persistent challenge of Marah Music.

Dominic Fox then made it three wins for fledgling jockeys aboard Ponte Di Rosa in the longest race of the day, the Anixter IP Assured Handicap over a mile and seven furlongs.

With the last two races confined to apprentices, Rachael Kneller took the first division for trainer Mark Brisbourne on Join Up and George Downing brought the curtain down on a long afternoon when scoring on Tony Carroll’s Polar Auroras, who had been unplaced at Lingfield Park five days earlier.

In a busy summer period for the track, there is racing again next Friday (July 6), with Ladies’ Day, the fourth meeting in just under three weeks.