York Saturday

DAKOTA Gold is a most likeable sprinter, and he completed a quickfire double for trainer Michael Dods when landing the Group 3 Bengough Stakes at Ascot on Saturday from The Tin Man (James Fanshawe/Adam Kirby) and Brando (Kevin Ryan/Tom Eaves).

He followed up carrying a penalty in the Listed Rous Stakes at Nottingham on Wednesday, ridden by regular pilot Connor Beasley both times.

Dakota Gold landed a bit of a public gamble to gain his first group win on Saturday, going off the 13/8 favourite, and was 7/4 market leader when again making all the running at Nottingham.

The margin of victory doubled to three and a half lengths on the latter occasion, but the feature of both races was how quickly he hit full stride, and he was essentially unchallenged for both wins.

His trainer has a knack of producing tough, durable sprinters who retain great enthusiasm, and should be commended for bringing the six-year-old to a new peak this autumn.

The Listed Rockingham Stakes was a pretty weak contest for the grade, but that won’t bother Mick Channon, who saw his own colours carried to success by 25/1 shot Nastase under David Probert.

The well-named colt (by Sixties Icon out of Rough Courte) had been beaten in nurseries prior to this off a BHA mark of 79, so he has either improved markedly, or the form is to be treated with caution in the wider scheme.

Ronan McNally has enjoyed his raiding parties to England in recent times – not including the pre-race interrogations, of course – and he hit the mark again when The Jam Man landed a two-mile handicap on the York Saturday card despite being 2lb out of the weights, landing a bit of a touch in the process.

Runner-up twice in Ireland in recent weeks, he gained compensation by swooping very late to deny Neil Mulholland’s Solo Saxophone.

He can’t go up much for this win, but will do better still if granted a stiffer test at the trip, and could be a Cesarewitch-type horse in a year’s time.

Nicholls off to Fabulous start

Chepstow Friday/Saturday

THE ground at Chepstow’s opening fixture of the jump season was faster than expected, and there were a fair few non runners as a result, but it looked significant that Paul Nicholls allowed his horses to take their chances, and he was rewarded with eight winners over the two days, notably in the weekend’s feature race, the Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle.

Nicholls appears determined even at this early stage, to wrest back the trainers’ title from arch-rival Nicky Henderson, and he really set his stall out with his dominant performance at this flagship fixture, which has traditionally marked the start of the jumps season proper.

McFabulous (Harry Cobden) was the star of the show on Friday, and while his presence in novice company was another hangover of the cancellation of the final weeks of the 2019/20 season (he won novice hurdles in February and March, and would in most years have been ineligible for this), it was a pleasure to see him reappear at the top of his form in the Persian War.

Although he only beat useful pair Courtandbould (Fergal O’Brien/Connor Brace) and One For The Team (Nick Williams/Sam Twiston-Davies) by three lengths and four, the 4/6 favourite looked a class apart.

All McFabulous’s wins have come on good to soft or quicker ground, including the Grade 2 bumper at Aintree’s Grand National meeting, and the only concern for him going forward is that he would be best away from winter ground having disappointed in the Kennel Gate Hurdle at Ascot last December.

He will be hard to beat while the going remains in his favour, however, and he has filled out really well since last year, now looking every inch the embryo chaser, and he will surely be top class over fences in time, assuming he can avoid setbacks in the interim.

The impressive Hell Red, Secret Investor, Grand Sancy and Knappers Hill were all good winners for Nicholls at the meeting

WHILE expecting Paul Nicholls to land a treble over jumps in October is the norm, not many would have the same expectations of Sheila Lewis, and yet the Brecon trainer, who only has a handful of horses in training, and also owns and runs a beauty salon.

She did just that at Hereford on Tuesday with Straw Fan Jack, Knight Commander and Cotton End, all ridden by Dungarvran man Sean Houlihan.

HOLLIE Doyle achieved another goal at Kempton on Wednesday evening, riding her 117th winner of the year in Britain on board State Occasion for trainer Ralph Beckett, thereby beating last season’s total, and with well over two months to set a new benchmark.

THE former Willie Mullins-trained Stormy Ireland made her debut for Paul Nicholls at Newton Abbot last Sunday, but after being a little sketchy over her fences, she was overhauled after the last fence by the Colin Tizzard-trained Eldorado Allen.