Delighted with Mr Shady's debut

An exciting year is on the cards for Mr Shady after he finished third on his Ursa debut at Newcastle.

The five-year-old grey, who was giving Rebecca Menzies her first runner in the Battenberg silks, hadn’t run for 197 days, but put in a hugely eye-catching performance, breaking away from the rest of the chasing pack to finish a comfortable third.

Mr Shady post race

It provides a really solid base for the rest of the season, with hopes high he can capitalise on a handicap rating 9lb below his last winning mark.

Jockey Phil Dennis said: “He stayed the trip fine, he has run straight and galloped right to the line. The further he went the better he was striding out.”

Rebecca added: “We will have loads of fun with him, that was a brilliant start. He just needed that run, we are really pleased with him.”