CRAIG Revel Horwood, pantomime villain of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing light entertainment show, predictably stole the limelight as he presented a trophy at Salisbury's final meeting of the 2015 season yesterday.

Wearing an outrageous £600 pair of blue shoes to complement his extravagent personality, he naturally became the centre of attention in the unsaddling enclosure as he presented the trophy to Ryan Moore on behalf of absent owner Khalid Abdullah whose horse Rostova took the first division of the seventh furlong maiden.

Much to the public's amusement, he even grabbed the champion jockey for an impromptu dance.

"I hope he will come on strictly when he's a bit more famous," he said afterwards, probably unaware Moore exhibits a lower public profile than the average mole.

Horwood, who moved to the Salisbury area with his partner about a year ago, would seem the most unlikely racegoer but he has twice visited Salisbury this year and revealed he owns paddocks which he rents out for racehorses. "I just love being back in the countryside."

Despite being on his day off, there was no escape from being asked about 'Strictly' and who he thought might win.

Jay McGuiness, who stunned viewers with his Pulp Fiction jive, is the favourite in his book - "provided he shows some personality."

Michael Simmonds is a man who simply likes to get on with his job unannounced but yesterday he shared the winners rostrum with colleagues as he retired as groundsman, his committment and dedication rewarded with the announcement he has been adjudged the winner of the 2015 national lifetime achievement award by the Racecourse Association.

It was back in 1966 that he began working at the track.

"I came up here to have a look and Byron Thomas, the manager, gave me the job," said Simmonds. "I have thoroughly enjoyed it."

With the racecourse giving him an honorary lifetime membership badge, course supremo Jeremy Martin said: "Michael has contributed enormously to the course. Like other groundsmen up and down the country, he will have contributed more than his fair share of working long and unsociable hours about which he has never once complained."

As for the racing itself, there was the traditional winner for the Hannon yard but with father and son away at the sales, it was left to Steve Knight, head lad at one of their two yards, to put things into perspective after Kismet Hardy took the opener.

"I don't think it was a very good race," he admitted. "But he's a big horse, still very weak and he's a really a next year horse. A trip of a mile or a mile and two furlongs will probably suit."

Another missing trainer was Harry Dunlop and it was left to his wife, Christina, to voice similar remarks about Hermarna who took the second divison of the seven furlong maiden.

"He's a big baby. Harry hoped he would improve on his first run. The soft going was definitely on his side and he did it very nicely."

The feature race fell to Wet Sail, winning for the first time since scoring at the course in August of last year but it didn't come as a surprise to travelling head lad Natasha Eaton who revealed the three-year-old had recently put in his work of the season.

Tom Queally took a crashing fall when his mount Pashan Garh clipped the heels of another runner in the seven furlong handicap and was stood down for the rest of the meeting.