Wootton’Sun only got into the bet365 Old Newton Cup at Haydock as a reserve, but he took full advantage to provide Richard Fahey with his first win in the race.

The four-year-old was declared as the second reserve but, thankfully for his connections, his place in the race was confirmed by Friday afternoon and he gamely came out on top to claim the almost £80,000 first prize.

Ridden by 52-year-old Joe Fanning, who is enjoying an excellent season, the 15-2 chance first had to see off Cumulonimbus and then hang tough to repel the late run of Scampi.

Fanning and Fahey have not teamed up together that often in their illustrious careers, but they were the perfect combination on this occasion.

Fahey said: “To be very honest, when we were second reserve, Steve (Bradley, owner) rang me and wanted to book a jockey and I said ‘Steve, we’ve no chance of getting in’!

“It couldn’t have worked out better in the end as Joe was available, he had a light weight and to win feels like a ‘Brucey bonus’.

“It was a race we had in mind at the beginning of the season and I felt he should have won before now and he’d definitely have got in.

“He’s been running very well and if he had won before today he’d have gone up three or four pounds. For him to sneak in and win is fantastic.

“That was his Derby so it’s great it worked out.”