Quirky Laa Rayb defies the draw to go the whole mile at Goodwood | Sport | The Guardian

Quirky Laa Rayb defies the draw to go the whole mile at Goodwood | Sport | The Guardian: "Jimmy Fortune and Laa Rayb score an easy victory in the totesport Mile at Goodwood.

The balance of power on the first three days at Glorious Goodwood was firmly with the punters, but the bookmakers recouped a fair part of their losses yesterday when Laa Rayb took the totesport Mile at 25-1.

Though he is trained by Mark Johnston, who has an outstanding record at the track, and won a Group Three last year, Laa Rayb has often looked an unwilling competitor. Above all, he had a single-figure draw in stall eight yesterday, in a race where a high number is generally essential.

He clearly takes no interest in statistics, though, and was clear entering the final furlong on the way to a two-and-a-quarter length defeat of Spectait.

'You can't give up on a horse with this much class,' Johnston said. 'He's got a lot of miles on the clock, he's got a few quirks and he's probably benefited from a bit of a gap between races as well. Perhaps he hasn't looked in love with the game at times, but you have to keep running and trying to find the key"