Lingfield double makes it a very Good Friday for William Haggas and James Doyle

VICTORY BOND ensured the growing partnership of William Haggas and James Doyle had a very Good Friday indeed at the All-Weather Championships at Lingfield.

The Haggas-trained gelding was sent off 3-1 joint favourite and showed all his class to win the most valuable race and the finale of Lingfield £1million card, the Betway Easter Classic.

Utmost and Star Archer took the field along for much of the way, but Victory Bond arrived on the scene travelling ominously well over a furlong out and never looked in serious danger of being caught.

Winter Derby winner Master The World found top gear late on, but it was all too late and he had to make do with a half-length second.

Doyle said: "I think that was a career-best. We're just learning a bit about him, that was pretty good and he showed what he could do

"William's horses are in fantastic shape and this was his main target for the winter."

Maureen Haggas, wife of the winning trainer, said: "He's such a star. I ride him out on a morning and I'm thrilled to bits.

"He's been a great horse and consistent all winter. Occasionally he's not had a great draw and not much luck but he had a good draw.

"He came here in fantastic form. I've been riding him for over a year but he just got a bit lively as a three-year-old. It's great the owners kept going with him as he's such a nice horse.

"He was not in great form ahead of his last race, and struggled a bit as he had some little issues, but the last two weeks he's really come back to himself.

"I was thinking he was not getting home but he stayed the trip really well. I don't think he likes this track and he prefers flatter tracks."

Haggas, who said last weekend he was looking for a regular rider, will find it hard to look past Doyle following the victories of Victory Bond and Diagnostic earlier on the card in the 32Red All-Weather Fillies' And Mares' Championships Conditions Stakes.

The four-year-old grey racked up a Chelmsford hat-trick within the space of a few weeks last autumn and although she had been narrowly beaten into third on each of her two starts since the turn of the year, she was sent off a 7-2 market-leader.

Doyle never had his mount far away and she quickened up well to beat Carolinae fairly readily by a length.

Haggas said: "She just relaxed well. It was a nice, fast pace which suited her and she did nothing wrong.

"The trip suited her well but they've done a really good job at home. The guys riding her really relaxed her. She's in a much better place than the back end of last year.

"She just wanted to get on with it but she has grown up a bit now and, as you can see, she's a beautiful filly."

The trainer and jockey combination had already got their season off to a flyer last weekend when Addeybb won the Lincoln at Doncaster.

It didn't all go swimmingly for Haggas and Doyle though, as favourite Second Thought was beaten in the SunBets All-Weather Mile by 40-1 French raider Lucky Team.

It was a lucrative day for those crossing the channel for Lingfield's big meeting, as Funny Kid (7-2) and City Light (8-1) made it a hat-trick of wins on the card for French-trained horses.

Also on the card, Archie Watson's Corinthia Knight (5-4) extended his winning streak with a decisive victory in the 3 Year Old All-Weather Championships Conditions Stakes at Lingfield.