Digits delight for Michael Attwater at Leicester

Michael Attwater moved another step closer to his best annual total after Titchy Digits provided him with his first juvenile winner of the year in the Aston Flamville Fillies' Nursery at Leicester.

Having seen each of his last two runners hit the target, the Epsom handler enjoyed winner number 21 of the campaign to move just three behind his 2006 personal best total of 24, after the daughter of Helmet opened her account with a length win in the six-furlong contest.

He said of the 20-1 winner: "I was very pleased with that. She has not had many runs, but she ran in testing conditions at Goodwood so we were hopeful she would go through it. They went plenty quick enough up front and I thought she stuck on well when Adam (Beschizza) went for her. The last three we have run have all won and it is now nice to add a two-year-old winner to that sheet."

He added: "It has been a good year up to now. Twenty four is my best total, but that was a long time ago. We have got close a couple of times, but this is my best chance of going past it. If we can find another half a dozen winners, it would be a nice way to finish the year."

Kristin Stubbs could be tempted to turn Soie D'Leau (2-1) out at Haydock on Saturday after he ended a barren run stretching back almost a year in the feature Racing UK Handicap.

Showing blistering speed, the five-year-old, who has been in the frame four times this season, made all to run out a length-and-a-half winner of the five-furlong dash to score for the first time since Doncaster in October.

Stubbs said: "He deserved that as he has run well in competitive races this year. He has found himself a bit higher in the handicap after having such a good year last year.

"It is nice to get his confidence back. It is probably by far the easiest test he has had all year.

"It is possible he might go to Haydock on Saturday, we will see how he is. He likes it there, so we will have a look. If he doesn't go there, he will go to Ascot a week later."

Harry Fry became the latest National Hunt trainer to enjoy a winner on the Flat when 13-8 favourite Golden Birthday dug deep to land the Breeders Backing Racing EBF Maiden Stakes and form the middle leg of a treble for Fran Berry.

Fry said: "Based on what he has been doing over hurdles I would have been disappointed if he hadn't won today. He will probably go back over hurdles for the Tote Silver Trophy at Chepstow and then have a winter break before reappearing for a campaign on the Flat.

"That is only my second runner on the Flat so it is nice to get off the mark in the other code."

David Evans provided Berry with his other two winners as Spirit Of Belle (5-2) posted a five-length victory in the Golden Hand Selling Stakes, before Fastnet Spin (5-2) dead-heated with the Richard Price-trained Zaria (3-1) in division one of the Highfields Fillies' Handicap.