NEWMARKET

CARAVAGGIO apart, it was a very successful meeting for Ballydoyle with Clemmie and Roly Poly scoring big wins on Friday and the heavily-backed Gustav Klimt following up 24 hours later.

A Galileo colt out of the Danehill mare Massarra, Gustav Klimt took the Group 2 bet365 Superlative Stakes on Saturday but had to work hard under one of Ryan Moore’s strongest drives to get up to deny Nebo by a head, with Great Prospector only half a length away in third.

The winner, sent off at 5/6, would have won more comfortably but for losing ground two furlongs out when a gap closed in front of him. Forced to check, he switched left and then ran on very strongly up the hill to get there in the nick of time.

Bookmakers were impressed and made him an 8/1 chance at the head of the market for next year’s Qipco 2,000 Guineas.

“I’m delighted with him,” Aidan O’Brien said. “The plan was always going to be to hold him up and teach him and when he was switched he took off. What was impressive was how he quickened as he was going across the track, which is most unusual. You’d have to be happy with him. We’ve always thought of him as a National Stakes/Dewhurst type but we may think about the Futurity Stakes before then,” he added.

Charlie Hills was pleased with Nebo, who failed to overcome a poor draw in the Coventry at Royal Ascot. He may well be in action again soon in the Richmond or the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.

Moyglare option for Poetic Charm

IT was a mixed day for both Ballydoyle and Godolphin but the latter organisation came out on top in the opening Rossdales EBF Stallions Maiden Fillies’ Stakes when debutante Poetic Charm beat Sizzling by a length, with John Gosden’s Juliet Capulet right behind.

This could be a very significant race with the future in mind.

Sizzling, a daughter of Galileo, had finished third at the Curragh and was made 6/4 favourite but Poetic Charm, overcoming minor traffic problems, was too good for the pair close home after Juliet Capulet had led approaching the furlong marker.

A Dubawi filly, Poetic Charm was not taking connections by surprise and started at 3/1.

She is in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and how she fares there may have a considerable bearing on the 1,000 Guineas market.

“I’ve been a bit lighter on the fillies and they’ve taken a while to come to hand but Poetic Charm has been working nicely and I was looking forward to the race,” Charlie Appleby said.

Sizzling is also a filly with a future, giving the impression here that a mile, as opposed to seven furlongs, may well be on the cards.

Lee steels the show

THE bet365 Bunbury Cup is one of the most competitive seven-furlong handicaps of the season and many of the top jockeys were involved.

However, it was 5lb claimer Clifford Lee who stole the show on David Barron’s Above The Rest, the 12/1 chance accounting for Sir Dancealot and Steady Pace in a tight finish.

The Godolphin team are much more involved in these valuable handicaps nowadays and when Josephine Gordon sent Wokingham runner-up Steady Pace clear it seemed another one was about to come their way. But the four-year-old looks like a horse without a definite trip and he started to empty out as they hit the rising ground, Lee coming with a perfectly-timed challenge to take over and hold Sir Dancealot close to home.

“I had to squeeze him up early doors but then he came back on the bridle,” the youngster said. “I didn’t want to get there too soon as he tends to stop a little bit but he’s done enough and did it nicely.”

Lee, who is apprenticed to Karl Burke, was riding his 50th (and easily most important) winner. His claim now drops to 3lb.