Racing Report Card: The ride of the day from Oisin Murphy, a Ralph Beckett horse to follow and a good day for the Mark Usher camp on Friday

THERE was a weekend warmup on Friday with proper racing all over the gaff.

We’ve picked out the best of the bunch and found a few snippets you may have missed from around the tracks.

Ride of the day

Oisin Murphy was at his best to get improving filly Shadn up on the line in the feature Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury.

Ryan Moore looked like he’d stolen a march on his rivals on the Mark Johnston-trained Misty Grey, but despite a few lingering signs of greenness, Murphy got all he could from his filly to get her up in the shadows of the post.

It was a game performance from the pair and this filly will step up into Group company next time out. She could yet be better on a sounder surface too.

A Ralph Beckett horse on the up

Skymax (4.10) had his rivals on the run a long way from home up the long Newbury straight and Beckett was quick to praise his rapidly improving three-year-old.

It was only a small field and some will question the form, but not me. He had these on the ropes miles out and looks a proper galloper.

He’ll go up a fair whack for this and looks a Melrose horse in the making.

It was also a hat tip to Sir Michael Stoute’s stayer Calculation who also won again today. That horse stuffed Skymax last time out at Doncaster.

A good days work for the Mark Usher stable

Trainer Mark Usher must have thought his luck was out when 33-1 shot Point In Time was edged out in Newbury’s valuable Class 2 Handicap at 3.05.

Jedhi just got up to land the £25k there, but over £7k went the way of the gutsy Point In Time who certainly has a race or two in her.

Then in the lucky last the team went one better as Misu Pete did the honours in the apprentice handicap.

He escapes a penalty for the win and a beaming Usher told our Trackman: “That was smashing – thank god it was an apprentice race and he won’t have a penalty.

“I’ll have to find something for him pretty quickly!”