TYSON Fury delivered a knockout punch as he won on debut at Doncaster.
The 20-1 shot – named after the boxing champ with his permission – lived up to the billing as he came home in first under jockey Megan Nicholls.
Trainer Richard Spencer was delighted with the win with the pressure on to deliver for the part-owner Phil Cunningham, who is mates with Fury.
Spencer said: “I believe Tyson watched the race at home with his brother and his dad.
“I have no idea if he had a bet on the horse, but the owners did and I’m delighted for them as they’ve been really patient with him.
“Tyson hasn’t been to see the horse himself yet, but I imagine he will do in the near future.”
Spencer is keen to let the dust settle on Tyson Fury’s excellent introduction before committing to future targets, but is keen to test him at a higher level before too long, having dreamt of a bid for Derby glory earlier in the year.
He added: “I was very pleased with his performance – it was a lovely way for him to start.
“I thought for him to come from where did in a slowly-run race was impressive – he quickened up twice to beat more experienced horses.
“We’ve been trying to get him out for the last few weeks, but every time we’ve declared him the ground has gone against us. I would have preferred to run him over a mile and a quarter first time, but the races weren’t there when the ground was suitable.”
Knockout! Tyson Fury makes a perfect start to his racing career, winning on debut at @DoncasterRaces for @meg_nicholls11 and @Richspencer89
pic.twitter.com/jT31sObLSn
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 5, 2020
“His work has been good and he did hold a Derby entry.
“We had hoped to get him out earlier, but obviously we couldn’t run him in the spring because of Covid-19 and that meant we didn’t get there, but he’s an exciting horse for the future, I think.”
