Easter Classic: Living Legend hits back to deny hot favourite Tyrrhenian Sea in Newcastle feature | Racing News

Living Legend battled back in great style to deny hot favourite Tyrrhenian Sea and land the Betway Easter Classic on All-Weather Finals Day at Newcastle. 

Given a delightful front-running ride from Joe Fanning, Living Legend (7/1) looked in trouble two furlongs from home, with Andrea Atzeni sitting pretty on the inside rail on board the odds-on shot trained by Roger Varian.

He quickened a length clear but as his stride just began to shorten under pressure, Fanning’s mount went into overdrive and they got back up to land the £200,000 feature by half a length.

After the race, winning trainer Mark Johnston said: “He had a bowed tendon and had to have two years off. They say they’re never the same again, but obviously time is the crucial thing and we gave him plenty of it – he was off for 841 days.

“The owners (Barbara and Alick Richmond) gave him to us and he came back sound, so we brought him back and raced him in our name. Then he won a race so we gave him back to the owners.

“I don’t know where we’ll go from here. We’ll take it one race at a time and we have no specific plan.

“Joe always used to say this horse is better at a mile and a quarter with a good pace, but he’s come in today and said ‘you could run him at any trip’.”

Earlier on the card, Earlofthecotswolds (10/3jf) provided trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies with his biggest flat success as Liam Keniry led all the way in the All-Weather Marathon final.

After getting to the front from an early stage, Keniry kicked around the final turn as he looked to put the horse’s stamina to good use.

He had to battle all the way though as Frankie Dettori and Marshall Plan put up a strong challenge down the stands rail inside the final two furlongs, with the eventual winner clinging on by a neck in what was a day of close finishes at Gosforth Park.

Speaking after the race, the winning trainer was quick to praise his son William for the plan put together for this horse, saying: “This is our biggest flat win so yes, it’s lovely.

“What a plan – I thought they were going to swallow him up. Willy is the flat man, he found the races and everything.

“Liam is one of his best mates and he said he’s the man for the job. We’ll have a celebration tonight!”

Five on the spin for El Caballo

El Caballo (13/8f) was a game winner of the Three-Year-Old final for Clifford Lee and Karl Burke, fighting off market rival and previously-unbeaten Tiber Flow in the closing stages.

After the favourite saw off the attentions of Space Cowboy and Hollie Doyle, he then had to re-rally as Tom Marquand’s mount charged home.

But the battle-hardened winner pulled out a bit more to bring up the five-timer, winning by a short head at the finish.

The top two in the market also battled it out in the Fillies’ and Mares’ Final, with Highfield Princess (15/8f) getting the better of Internationalangel for Jason Hart and John Quinn.

The winner travelled stronger than the second under Hollie Doyle, moving two lengths clear but hung out to the left to give the runner-up a chance up the straight.

But when the second got within half a length, the winner pulled out more to win with a bit to spare at the finish.

French victor on Finals Day

France enjoyed a winner in the Sprint final, with Bouttemont (10/1) edging a close finish to land the spoils for Gregory Benoist and trainer Yann Barberot.

The travelling team denied Edraak and Spycatcher for the Michael Appleby and Karl Burke teams respectively, taking £77,000 first prize in the process.

My Oberon (13/8f) got up right on the line to reward favourite backers in the All-Weather Mile, after jockey Tom Marquand survived a dramatic stewards’ enquiry.

The Wiliam Haggas-trained five-year-old travelled smoothly and battled it out with Joseph O’Brien’s San Andreas off a slow pace, just doing enough to win by a neck at the line.

The stewards had a quick look at the finish after the winner appeared to lean on the second, but the result stood after further inspection.