Henderson gets the Buzz back with victory over Mullins

Rest of the card

THE Cesarewitch has been dominated by the major jumps yards in recent years, and that trend continued with Buzz securing a third win in the race for Nicky Henderson under Oisin Murphy, who was returning after being stood down by the stewards on Friday.

Buzz came clear with former Triumph Hurdle winner Burning Victory, representing Willie Mullins, and the big gap back to the third is indicative of the stranglehold the big National Hunt stables seem to have in marathon flat events.

Murphy was delighted to have come back with such a big winner, but is now all out to hold on to his lead in the jockeys’ title race, with William Buick closing the gap to two with on Wednesday, having ridden a treble at Leicester the previous day. Murphy’s double yesterday makes the lead three.

The Group 3 Darley Stakes had to take a back seat on Saturday, the race falling at the end of the card, and seeing Mostahdaf (John & Thady Gosden/Jim Crowley) step up from listed company to score for the classic generation, beating Bedouin’s Story (Saeed bin Suroor/Frankie Dettori) by a length and three-quarters.

Workmanlike

John Gosden revealed that he actually wanted to run Mostahdaf in this weekend’s Champion Stakes, and that assessment more than this workmanlike victory makes the son of Frankel an interesting contender for the big 10-furlong Group 1 races next season.

He may be aimed next at the Bahrain International Trophy, but looks sure to progress as a four-year-old, as his half-sister Nazeef did.

Zetland Stakes

Finish of the day at Newmarket came when Goldspur just prevailed in a three-way go for the Group 3 Zetland Stakes over a mile and a quarter to kick-start a treble for Charlie Appleby. The verdict was in doubt throughout the contest as Goldspur (James Doyle), stablemate Hafit (William Buick) and Unconquerable (Joseph O’Brien/Frankie Dettori) exchanged the lead, and it was only in the final stride that the issue was settled in favour of the 5/2 second favourite.

After outsider Dukebox had led for a furlong, Goldspur took over, but was headed by Hafit at the five-furlong pole, and that colt in turn lost the lead with a quarter of a mile to go as Dettori kicked Royal Lodge third Unconquerable into the lead against the far rail.

The trio detached themselves from the field and despite a flash of the tail from the O’Brien colt, all three gave their all in a compelling finish, with each in front at some point in the last furlong, although it was Goldspur who just denied Unconquerable at the line, scoring by a head, with a short head separating the placed horses.

The Zetland lost blacktype status for a while, but it has improved in quality again in recent years, regaining listed status in 2015, and promoted to Group 3 level in 2019, where the beaten horses included the following season’s Preis der Diana (German Oaks) winner, and St Leger runner-up as well as this year’s Gold Cup hero Subjectivist.

Last year’s winner went on to be second in the Irish Derby, and this renewal should again throw up top-class winners over further in 2022. The dominant trio ought to thrive over a mile and half or further next season, but they all have Group 1 options at a mile left this term, so it will be interesting to see how they fare if kept on the go.