Pace pays off at Musselburgh

● First three winners on card make all ● Dalgleish doubles up in today’s feature

It paid to be on the pace at Musselburgh last night as the first three winners made every yard of the running.

Red Treble was the opening race scorer for Cam Hardie and was followed quickly into the number one berth by Sam James-ridden Out Of Breath and Echo Of Lightning under Ben Curtis.

The latter romped away with themagnersgbhandicapand co-owner Victoria Greetham was overjoyed by the outcome.

“I bought him as a youngster and I love him to bits,” she said. “I actually drove him up in my box tonight and his nickname is ‘Nipper’.

“I’ve tried to event and showjump but he misbehaved when he heard the tannoy and we were told to leave a couple of events! I think he thought he was back racing so that’s what we’ve done with him and I can’t believe he’s won for the eighth time.”

On the second day of the meeting today, the feature race is the £12,500 EBF Stallions Winners Fillies’ Handicap. Runners include recent course and distance scorer Gometra Ginty.

Keith Dalgleish’s filly is again partnered by Shane Gray, who was on board for her lengthand-a-quarter victory in early August.

Dalgleish also saddles Caustic Love, already the winner of three races for her owners Weldspec Glasgow limited this season.

The three-year-old shares top-weight with her contemporary Beryl The Petal, but is easily the pick of the pair who must shoulder 10st 1lb and concede up to more than a stone and a half in the ninerunner field.

Caustic Love earned her burden when she won for the third time in five starts, at Ripon.

That length-and-three-quarter success confirmed her continued progression – and although she is up 17lb in all since the start of her winning spree, there is no reason to suspect she has reached the limit yet. Back to seven furlongs from a mile, Caustic Love has shown winning form over even shorter and the assistance of Joe Fanning in the saddle for the first time is no detriment either, of course.

At Catterick, Ruby Wonder has done enough in three of her four career starts to suggest she can strike for the first time in the opening Oops A Daisy Florists Median Auction Maiden Stakes.

She finished last of 18 when O’meara gave her a shot at York Listed company but that level of ambition is telling in this class, and if Ruby Wonder can replicate the level of placed efforts at Beverley and Ripon at this minimum trip, she should be in business.

O’meara may be set for a decent day on his doorstep in Yorkshire, having found a feasible opportunity for welldrawn debutante Strictly Legal in the Secret Spa Fillies’ Novice Stakes.

His Lamloom also has obvious prospects off top weight in the Ernest Norris (1919-1992) Memorial Handicap.

There may not be much reason to get excited about Lingfield’s largely low-grade card, although Restless Endeavour catches the eye in the Rahman Ravelli EBF Fillies’ Novice Median Auction Stakes.

Jamie Osborne’s filly appears to be learning on the job, but that did not stop her getting off the mark at the second attempt last time. After that narrow win at Kempton, and a debut second at Chelmsford – both at this same seven-furlong trip – Restless Endeavour completes the full set of the south’s allweather tracks with this trip to Surrey. She is required to concede 7lb all round, including to the promising Follia, but there is nonetheless every likelihood she will get the job done again.