Sandown Thursday
SANDOWN Park staged Britain’s biggest evening race meeting of the season on Thursday, featuring the Star Sports Brigadier Gerard Stakes, which was won by Ombudsman (John and Thady Gosden/William Buick). The son of Night Of Thunder was runner-up 12 months ago before landing the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and he confirmed himself the best older horse in training in the UK, with victory in the Juddmonte International at York.
He warmed up for this with success in the Group 1 Dubai Turf at Meydan in March and was a red-hot 2/5 favourite to go one better than he had last year, despite the burden of a Group 1 penalty. Ombudsman tracked the leaders before striking for home a furlong out, but was harried from that point by Gethin (Owen Burrows/James Doyle), who made sure he had to fight for his winning margin of a neck, with the pair pulling three lengths clear of Almeric (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy).
Ombudsman had reportedly not galloped on turf since running in Dubai and will now attempt to retain his crown in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot next month, where a clash with the brilliant Daryz awaits.
John Gosden said: “I thought it was a good performance giving 7lb and I thought the second ran a grand race. All in all, I am very happy and it is exactly what I expected. He was coming here as a trial for Ascot and that will have put him spot on.
“He’s a very cool customer now and does what he has to do, he is not too flashy any more. Horses get old and wise, like boxers. Royal Ascot looks exciting with Daryz coming over. He looks a phenomenal horse, and we are looking forward to a proper Prince of Wales’s.”
Future hard to predict
There was shock in the Group 3 Star Sports Henry II Stakes with the race going to the veteran Dubai Future (Saeed Bin Suroor/David Probert) at 28/1. The 10-year-old made an early bid for glory and Probert’s decision to commit for home at the top of the straight proved decisive, with his mount stealing a few lengths out of favourite Sweet William (John and Thady Gosden/Rab Havlin) and went all out to hold on by a neck.
Lazy Griff (Charlie Johnston/William Buick), runner-up in the Derby a year ago, ran well to be third on his comeback, beaten less than two lengths at the line - despite looking just in need of the run. Winning trainer Saeed bin Suroor, successful with Papineau (2004) and Fight Your Corner (2005) in this contest, confirmed him an intended runner in the Gold Cup, in which he was third last year.
Rest of the card
There were two listed races on Sandown’s card with the National Stakes over five furlongs for juveniles going to Kevin Ryan’s 7/2 shot Where Love Lives (Kevin Stott), who was following up a win at Thirsk on debut and seemed to book a place in the Norfolk Stakes with a half-length defeat of favourite Adaay of Scarlet (Hugo Palmer/Oisin Murphy).
The Heron Stakes has often been a guide to the St James’ Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and that may be where impressive winner Talk Of New York (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) is seen next; he certainly deserves his spot in the field after routing some useful rivals by upwards of five and a half lengths here, the closest being stablemate Time To Turn (James Doyle), who won the Horris Hill Stakes at Newbury in the autumn and was conceding a 5lb penalty on his return.
Haydock Saturday
VENETIAN Sun (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee) leapt to the top of the betting for next month’s Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, when bouncing back to form to land the Group 2 William Hill Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock on Saturday.
Sent off the 7/4 favourite on the back of a non-staying effort in the 1000 Guineas, the daughter of Starman travelled easily behind the leaders before taking command inside the final furlong for a three-length victory over Division (William Haggas/Cieren Fallon), Spicy Marg (Michael Bell/Oisin Murphy) made late headway for third, a length and a half further back.
“She’s a great filly,” said the winning rider. “She gave me my first Group 1 in France last year and, back at six furlongs today, I thought she was the horse to beat.”
Raider completes Burke double
In the Group 2 William Hill Temple Stakes, 3/1 market leader Night Raider provided Burke and Lee with a 10/1 Pattern-race double on the card.
The five-year-old had made a winning reappearance in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket’s Guineas meeting and followed up in contrasting style to defeat American Affair (Jim Goldie/Paul Mulrennan) by a length, with the winner’s stablemate Beautiful Diamond (Kevin Stott) a head behind the runner-up in third.
Despite making the running at Newmarket, Night Raider came from off the pace here, having dwelt as the stalls opened, and he only hit the front in the final 50 yards. Richard Brown, representing Wathnan Racing, added: “We’ve always had big faith in the horse and gelding him has made a huge difference.
“He has an enormous stride length now - one of the biggest we’ve ever seen.
“I just wonder whether maybe something was pinching him before the gelding operation; we had maybe questioned his resolution before, but we’re not questioning it now! He will go straight to Royal Ascot.”
Bad ground
The card at Haydock on Saturday made headlines for the wrong reasons after favourite Friendly Soul appeared to put her foot in a hole in the opening EBF Hedge of Oak Stakes. The incident saw her pulled up quickly in the listed contest, which was won by 8/1 chance Dreamasar (Ed Walker/Kieran Shoemark); officials frantically examined the track after the incident with the upshot that racing on the round course was deemed unsafe and subsequently abandoned.
Series of issues
The sprint races were able to be run by moving them to the inner track where no issues were reported.
This is the latest in a series of issues involving false ground and/or drainage issues at British tracks and, while Haydock were due to race again this weekend, the decision was made earlier in the week to move that fixture with the track still not fit for racing.
York Saturday
Danielle is too classy
THE Group 3 Bronte Cup for fillies was the feature of York’s Saturday card and victory went to 1/2 favourite Danielle (John and Thady Gosden/Rab Havlin), who made the most of a good opportunity under a no-nonsense ride, ridden close up and kicking for home early in the straight against inferior rivals, beating Miss Alpilles (Ed Walker/George Downing) by a length and a quarter, with French raider Desert Spring (Mario Baratti/Connor Beasley) beaten three lengths in total into third.
The winner has shown very useful form in her career to date and had ended last season by landing a listed race at Doncaster, but was gaining a first win in pattern company at the sixth attempt here.
Around the tracks
CARTMEL raced on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday, with Gordon Elliott saddling winners on the first and last day of the Bank Holiday meeting. On Saturday, 9/4 favourite Loch Cuan (Sean Bowen) landed the opening maiden hurdle, while Flying Ace (8/11) repeated the dose for trainer and jockey to start Wednesday’s card. He still has some way to go to match his namesake of yesteryear, who was the most prolific point-to-point and hunter chase winner of the modern era, when ridden by the legendary Doreen Calder.
Shark Hanlon also added to his UK tally when Stay In The Game, ridden by son Paddy upset the 1/8 favourite Knighton in a match for the novice handicap hurdle at Huntingdon on Monday.