Highlights - London & The South in command after night four at Windsor

London & The South delivered a potentially decisive blow to its Racing League rivals as the second half of the competition started at Windsor.

Matt Chapman’s side began the evening in second place, 16 points behind The East, but now finds itself 95 points clear with an overall total of 581.

London & The South had two successes on the card, with the Charlie Hills-trained Kodi Fire completing a three-timer in Race 24 and Daniel & Claire Kubler’s Siempre Arturo leading home a one-two in Race 27.

In addition to the winners, London & The South had eight other runners finish in the first five as the team collected 202 points on the night, eclipsing its previous record of 193 at this fixture 12 months ago.

Chapman said: “It has been a great night, although Siempre Arturo’s race was a bit of a catastrophe on a personal level because I took Richard Kingscote off the winner and put him on the runner-up Lieber Power. In my defence, Lieber Power would not have run in the race had Richard not been on board, so it is swings and roundabouts. Hopefully, it will make no difference to the leading jockey standings in the end.

“We are going all right and still have a joker to play. The people I have added to my team have been great, including Chris Dwyer and George Scott. George has been a pleasure to deal with, I think because he wants to beat one of his mates Charlie Fellowes [team manager of The East]. I told Charlie, who was in the Algarve last Thursday sunning himself, that his horses run a lot better when he is not around. He has come back tonight, and look at him, destroyed!”

The East kept the deficit below three figures thanks to Auld Toon Loon’s last-gasp success for Tom Dascombe in the finale, Race 28, having taken the evening’s opening contest, Race 21, with the Tom Clover-trained Rocking Ends, who lowered the five-furlong course record.

Clover said: “Rocking Ends really loves top of the ground. He is a lovely horse, who won a couple for us last year and was impressive today, which was great to see. Fair play to Carrie Browning, she rides him every day at home and said he was popping. Nothing went right for him at Goodwood on rain-softened ground, but it is great to win a nice pot here, which practically pays for his year.”

Scotland has moved up to third with 446 points. Zapphire provided the highlight for Alex Steedman’s side in Race 26, with Julie Camacho’s runner repelling Hickory and Jimmy Speaking in a three-way finish.

Steedman said: “Zapphire is so consistent and has been on the wrong end of some of those close finishes. I loved the ride from Kevin [Stott]. It was a fast pace and he could easily have got close to that, but he just sat off it. It has been a tough night, but we have kept the scoreboard ticking over with a few fifth-placed finishes as well as a second and third in the previous race.”

Yorkshire’s improved campaign continued as Brosay landed Race 25 for Paul Attwater and Joanna Mason, leaving Leonna Mayor’s side in fourth on 432 points at the end of the night.

Mayor said: “Paul was very confident about Brosay at the entry stage. He felt he had run a lot better than his recent runs suggested, which a few other people had noticed as well. Joanna did exactly what Paul told her to do. She is an underrated jockey and Racing League has allowed her to ride for trainers she does not normally ride for. She rode Marco Botti a winner at Wolverhampton and one for Paul here today, two trainers I don’t think she had ridden for.”

Wales & The West’s Saffie Osborne, who has been Racing League’s top jockey for the past three seasons, notched her first win of this year’s competition aboard the Ian Williams-trained Whathappensinvegas in Race 23.

Osborne said: “The key was to get this horse to settle. Even though he jumped a bit awkwardly after getting upset in the stalls, I was very happy with him the whole way round. I was able to get my hands on his neck and he really relaxed. He did it very nicely in the end. I rode this horse in the spring of last year and Ian has done a fabulous job with him. He was definitely a lot buzzier then than he is now, which I think has been the key to him.”

Richard Kingscote leads the jockey standings with 274 points, having had 23 rides for London & The South. The East’s Daniel Muscutt and Yorkshire’s David Allan are next in on 172 and 159 points, although both riders have only had 17 mounts so far.

For full race results, league tables and lots more see the brilliant Racing League microsite from our partners AtTheRaces

See all the Week 4 race replay videos: