Jamie Spencer, the teenager who was catapulted to fame on the back of Tarascon when winning last year's Irish 1,000 Guineas, rode the first hurdles winner of his fledgling career at Kempton yesterday.
The baby-faced Irishman, who had ridden a winner on the flat at Lingfield, enjoyed a bloodless victory on Magic Combination in the Royal Mail Conditional Jockeys Novices' Handicap Hurdle.
Afterwards Magic Combination's trainer, Barney Curley poured praise on the 18-year-old and compared him to Martin Molony, one of the best jockeys from the post war era who won the 1951 Cheltenham Gold Cup with Silver Fame and was rated as perhaps the best never to have been champion in Britain.
"He's the best there's been since Martin Molony," Curley declared. "Martin Malony was great over jumps and on the Flat and this kid is only 18. He's the best I've seen since Frankie (Dettori) was 18, anyhow.
"That was his first win over hurdles and he's only had very few rides, about five."
Adrian Maguire showed no signs of discomfort from the sprained wrist he sustained at Fakenham on Monday when steering King Lucifer to victory in the Hanworth Handicap Chase.
