Newmarket Saturday
Sun Chariot Stakes (Group 1)
SHE must be a great filly to have anything to do with, and Billesdon Brook was back to her very best to land another Group 1 at Newmarket, the 16/1 chance once again springing a surprise as she had in the 1000 Guineas last year.
There was no 66/1 on offer last Saturday, but she barely got a mention in the preamble with the focus largely on Laurens as she made her farewell appearance, and several others better fancied including recent Matron Stakes winner Iridessa, dual Guineas heroine Hermosa and the Benny Andersson-owned Lavender’s Blue.
Those rivals, smart as they are, were all put in the shade as Billesdon Brook powered to the front inside the final furlong to win readily under Sean Levey, who was gaining his first Group 1 win since that famous day last May.
Both Hermosa and Laurens ran as if feeling the effects of a busy campaign, leaving Veracious (Sir Michael Stoute/Oisin Murphy) to finish second and Iridessa (Joseph/Donnacha O’Brien) third.
Richard Hannon’s filly, owned by Pall Mall Partners, a syndicate headed by her breeder Jeanette McCreery, was winning her third race this season, and the trainer had previously put her return to form down to a change of scenery at home, as he explained:
“Form may be temporary but class is permanent and you don’t win a Guineas and be average. We’ve moved her from Herridge Stables to Everleigh and the change of scene has done her good. I’d love her to stay in training next year, but that’s up to Jeanette.”
Laurens failed to go out on the high that connections would have hoped, but retires as the winner of eight of her 17 races, six of them Group 1s, and both Karl Burke and jockey P J McDonald were quick to pay fulsome tribute to John Dance’s mare as she exited the stage.
Rest of the Card
THE Tattersalls October Auction Stakes went as expected to the classy Under The Stars for James Tate and Oisin Murphy, although the win was more hard-fought than an SP of 5/4 favourite in a field of 28 might indicate, and she didn’t have to be near her best to chisel out victory.
Some good judges were noted scribbling furiously in notebooks after Ralph Beckett’s Kinross, owned like Friday’s Ascot winner Hereby by former Senior Steward Julian Richmond-Watson, made a scintillating debut in the seven-furlong novice stakes.
The son of Kingman was slow into stride while favourite Raeeb was making the running, and Oisin Murphy’s mount led travelling easily with a quarter mile to run, at which point Kinross loomed up full of running and was yet to be asked for an effort when getting past the leader with a furlong to run. He stormed away to win by eight lengths, and did so in a remarkably fast time. He could be very good indeed.