ANN DUFFIELD’S flagship horse Willie The Whipper sold for a six-figure sum in the ring after his final run for the North Yorkshire trainer in the Prix Dollar at the weekend. Like most of Qatar Racing’s team, the plan was always to send him to the sales ring but he will be sorely missed by the Duffields. He ran respectably in the French Derby and was touched off in the Doonside Cup. Ann says in her blog: “He has been a pleasure and a privilege to train and we can only hope to find more like him for the future.” The trainer also had high hopes of RUST as a two year old but after a promising debut he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. He has been tried over several different trips and is sent to Pontefract today to contest the one-mile maiden at 5.10pm.

The ground should be ideal for him, and although he may struggle to cope with the beautifully bred Thatchmaster, Rust might be worth an each-way tinkle at around 14/1.