BUNGEE Jump returned to form at Chepstow on Thursday, ending Grace Harris’ spell on the cold trainers’ list.

Talking about the filly afterwards, the Shirenewton handler said: “She’s been working well at home. Previously I was worried that she hadn’t trained on, for she’s had some poor runs this year and it left me scratching my head.”

Being drawn near the stands rail helped the filly, who ran solo along it for much of the way. Harris added: “She doesn’t like company. She’s exercised by herself at home.”

Carnage was a 40/1 winner for Nikki Evans at Warwick last week, though it wasn’t a surprise to those in the yard. “We thought he had a proper chance,” said the trainer’s husband Paul. “Last time at Hereford he kept running into the back of everything so we thought that was a hell of a good run and we were quite pleased the handicapper left him alone.”

David Evans continues in good form. His Dark Optimist won at Salisbury on Saturday night and Ivatheengine’s victory at Windsor on Monday marked him out as above average. His jockey Oisin Murphy reported: “There was a bit left in the tank.”

Milton Bradley was one of the trainers with a runner in a controversial six furlong race at Goodwood on Saturday. One of the six horses appeared to have gained an advantage due to his stall opening fractionally early, and the starter signalled a false start. Three of them were pulled up before halfway, whereas the other three only came to a halt much further on. They all returned to the start and were deemed fit to take part by the vets. The race was run, but four of them, including Bradley’s horse Englishman, showed ill-effects afterwards.

Nobody disputes that the rules were applied correctly, but the veteran trainer expressed his opinion that they need to be revised. In a similar situation, he favoured letting the original race run its course, disqualifying any horse that had an unfair advantage later.

“Our horse seems all right now,” Bradley said on Sunday, “but when sprinters like that get out well and are running, it's a total farce to stop them. Our horse was geed up after that. He never wins if he goes to the front, but the jockey couldn't hold him, so he let him go.”

Ironically, replays of the race in the stewards inquiry seemed to suggest that the stall hadn’t opened prematurely after all.

Happier news for the Bradley stable was that Muraaqeb won his fourth race this year for them at Chelmsford on Thursday. They’ve all been in Class 6 events, and as the horse’s last two wins have been in photo finishes, the handicapper can’t raise him too much. Win number five could come at the Essex track on Friday.

The long drive to Chelmsford proved worthwhile for Ron Harris on Monday when Thegreyvtrain won her first race for him. Her previous outing had been her best run to date, so she is definitely on an upward curve.