DEAN Ivory has a talented sprinter in Tropics, who started at 66/1 and beat all bar Slade Power in the Group 1 Darley July Cup at the big Newmarket summer meeting. Returning to the course on Saturday, he found a strong late burst to take the Listed Stobart Members Club Hopeful Stakes to set up a tilt at the Sprint Cup at Haydock next month.

This looked a strong listed event but there were one or two major disappointments, notably Intrinsic, an impressive winner of the Stewards’ Cup but only eighth here, and Ruwaiyan, who also ran well at Goodwood but finished last on this occasion.

On the other hand Alben Star, a good third on the Sussex Downs, ran a cracking race and went down by only half a length as Tropics (11/4 favourite), his passage blocked at one stage, burst through a late gap to beat him by half a length with Reckless Abandon right behind.

Robert Winston thought the winner did well considering the ground was faster than he likes. It will almost certainly be easier at Haydock and he should go well.

The winners keep flowing from the John Gosden stable and he completed a double with Kasb and Nautilus to go with Forever Now at Goodwood, while Luca Cumani’s Elhaame, given a slightly easier task than of late, justified 9/4 favouritism in the 10-furlong handicap.

Ansgar rewards Harty’s bold policy

GOODWOOD staged a very different sort of card on Sunday but alongside a seller and an amateur riders’ handicap there was the Group 3 Supreme Stakes over seven furlongs. It provided another triumph for Ireland at the end of a very successful week as Sabrina Harty’s Ansgar, given a good ride by James Doyle, scored at 14/1 from 2/1 favourite Muteela.

Ansgar was the complete outsider of six, a price which owed more to a modest effort at Leopardstown, where the ground was too soft for him, than his overall record, which certainly gave him a chance. Taking over from Indignant two furlongs from home, he kept on strongly and Muteela, with an idea or two of her own before the start, was never going to get to him. The real disappointment was Godolphin’s Steeler, stone last after a fine fourth in the big mile handicap at the Glorious meeting.

“James said he won despite the ground being loose and not really liking the track, either,” Harty said. “He was entitled to win this on his form with Gordon Lord Byron last year. The ground is the key to him so we’ll choose races with good ground. It will probably have gone before the Group 2 at Doncaster and Champions Day at Ascot.”

This was a bold and imaginative bit of placing by the trainer, who identified a Group 3 where one or two had questions to answer. It also helped that Ansgar is very game and hard to pass when the chips are down.

Epsom jockeys escape ban

ALL eight jockeys, including Ryan Moore and James Doyle, taking part in the five-furlong dash at Epsom on Monday were fortunate to avoid bans which would have ruled them out of the St Leger meeting at Doncaster and Irish Champions Weekend.

A false start was correctly called when Taurus Twins burst out of the stalls but the jockeys went straight past the advance flagman and completed the course, though the race was inevitably declared void.

On a truly desperate day weather-wise, with the rain still falling and visibility poor, the inquiry found that the jockeys had not wilfully disobeyed the advance flag man. The latter, part-time operative David Austin, had started to walk away but suddenly ran back to the middle of the course, waving his flag. He failed to blow his whistle, which is a key part of the procedure. Although a report will be sent to the BHA, no further action will be taken. Connections were understandably upset, especially those responsible for the ‘winner’ Humidor, though Valerie Murphy’s (assistant to trainer George Baker) assertion that the result should have stood was clearly out of the question.

Paddy Power, William Hill and Boylesports paid out on the winner (11/4) only.