Rest of the card
PAUL Midgeley’s sprinters have been in form all season and the nine-year-old Desert Law won the opening Symphony Group Handicap with surprising ease for owner Andy Taylor.
The middle of the track was the place to be and Frankie Dettori was quickly away on the mare Thesme, setting up a handy lead. Many of them never got into at all but Luke Morris on Desert Law followed him through, took it up at the furlong marker and sent the 14/1 chance clear to score by just over a length from 6/1 favourite Edward Lewis, with Thesme just holding A Momentofmadness for third.
Desert Law has been a fine performer over the years, firstly for Andrew Balding and then Saeed Bin Suroor. This was his eighth career success and came just four days after another 14/1 win at Doncaster, which earned him a 6lb penalty.
“He’s nine now but that win gave him some confidence,” Morris said. “Frankie went very quick on Thesme but this fellow followed them through, no problem.”
RAIN IN TIME
The punters got it right in the Fine EquinITy Handicap over two miles when making Ralph Beckett’s Magic Circle 7/2 favourite.
Helped by the morning downpour, he waited on longtime leader My Reward, who was bidding to give the Easterby stable a double, and went on score by a length in the hands of Harry Bentley for Mr and Mrs David Aykroyd. Euchen Glen kept on for third.
“He ran a cracking fifth in the Chester Cup on ground plenty fast enough for him,” Beckett remarked. “It was still pretty quick in the Ascot Stakes and he’d had a problem since so we were happy with the weather forecast today. The Ebor is still a possibility if he’s all right but there’s the Cesarewitch, as well.”
FOUR ON THE SPIN
It was all about pace up the centre in the closing Betway Nursery over six furlongs and Tom Dascombe’s prolific Demons Rock made it four wins in a row, bursting clear from halfway for Richard Kingscote and holding the late challenge of Queen’s Sargent.
The remarkable run began at Chepstow, where Demons Rock was rated 75 and won for the the Famous Five Partnership. Successful off 92 here, he was allowed to start at 8/1 after going off favourite on the other three occasions.