Marquand on the mark at Doncaster as Doyle misses out

Newlyweds Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand had mixed fortunes when returning to action at Doncaster after dashing back from Dubai.

Both had four rides at the South Yorkshire venue with Marquand enjoying a winner on Maljoom while Doyle was out of luck.

The pair have had a busy week. Married at St John’s Church in Ivington, Herefordshire, on Monday, they had a four-day honeymoon in Oman and rode at the Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan on Saturday. They came straight to the racecourse after arriving back in the UK at 8am.

“We got back at eight o’clock this morning. We flew into Heathrow and came straight up. This is the start of it all, so it’s good to start it off well,” said Marquand, after partnering the William Haggas-trained newcomer Maljoom to victory in division one of the SBK Novice Stakes.

“The ring might bring me a bit of luck,” he joked.

“It was a great day. We lost the vicar two hours before the service due to Covid and they managed to get someone else. It was a bit nerve racking but it was great fun and we had a few days to go away, relax and enjoy it a bit. It’s back to business now.”

Of his winner, Marquand added: “I spent the first couple of furlongs hunching up behind them, letting him know he was at the races. It was nice he finished off and won. It would have been a nice run if he hadn’t won.

“There’s plenty to work with. I was really pleased with him.”

Of his two rides in Meydan, he added: “My Oberon ran super (sixth in Dubai Turf), Alenquer (sixth in Sheema Classic) pulled a shoe and I wondered if that ground was not right for him. Neither of them disgraced themselves. It’s tough racing at the highest level.”