The tough two-year-old kept finding more in the straight to hold off Stiletto Blade by a length and a half and earn himself the dubious honour of winter favouritism - 20-1 with Hills - for next year's Derby.The distaff stars of the future were on parade in the Group 1 Fillies Mile, in which the beautifully bred Aqaarid quickened nicely inside the final furlong and stayed on well to hold the determined late flourish of Jural by half a length. The outsider Snowtown, who led the field of nine into the straight, held on gamely for third, in front of the disappointing favourite Pure Grain, who looked very one-paced.Aqaarid had raced, and won, only once previously, and her trainer John Dunlop was hopeful rather than confident beforehand. He said: 'She's a rather lazy lady at home, almost too relaxed, and very difficult to assess. Obviously, we know more about her now, and I see no reason why she should not get a mile and a half next year.'The filly, like her parents Nashwan and Ashayer, carried Hamdan Al Maktoum's colours, and strengthens his grip on next year's fillies' classics.

His Harayir, a runner in Tuesday's Cheveley Park Stakes, heads the 1,000 Guineas market and Aqaarid is now top of the Oaks lists.Ashayer won the Prix Marcel Boussac seven years ago a week after running third in the Fillies Mile, but Aqaarid is unlikely to follow her over the channel. Dunlop said: 'I cast that one over the Sheikh, but he failed to bite, so that will be her for the season.'Wizard King turned the allegedly competitive Tote Festival Handicap into a procession, galloping clear in the last furlong and a half to win as he liked by a long-looking four lengths The three-year-old was backed from 8-1 to 13-2 favourite.. (First Edition) Chesterfield's Chris Mellors, driving a Ford Sierra Cosworth, won the Artemis Equipment Forest Stages rally in North Yorkshire by just 17b seconds to snatch the six-round series from Aberdeen's season-long leader David Gillanders, writes Keith McGhie. Last season's winner, Dougie Watson-Clark, from Carlisle, rolled his escort spectacularly out of the rally on the second stage, escaping unhurt before the car burst into flames.. (First Edition) Antonio Garrido, the Spaniard, went into the final back nine of the Zurich Senior Trophy yesterday with Ireland's Liam Higgins chasing him all the way.

Garrido completed his opening nine in 35, leaving him 13 under par with Higgins just one stroke behind him Neil Coles was two strokes further back on 10 under. The best outward half was the 31 returned by the Order of Merit leader, John Morgan, but this took him only to six under and left him with little chance of completing the season with a fourth victory. Neal Lancaster held a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Byron Nelson Classic in Coal Valley, Illinois on Friday after recording a second straight five-under round of 65. Lancaster, the 35-year-old American, finished a second rain-affected day one shot clear of Bob Estes who shot a 66. A packed field of close contenders includes David Frost, the two-time defending champoion.. The last race of the season proved unfortuitous for Lawrie Smith yesterday.

Sailing in Datchet Water in the Vauxhall Ultra 30 National Championships, Smith's boat, Vauxhall Frontera, was rammed and capsized by Russell Peters in DBS. None of Smith's crew were hurt, though on righting it was found that Frontera's mast had broken.. Morocco's Khalid Skah won the World Half Marathon championship in Oslo yesterday in 1hr 27sec. Skah, the 10,000m Olympic champion, was just outside the best performance of the year over the distance of 1:00.13 run by the Kenyan Paul Tergat..