Ayr Saturday

RICHARD Spencer produced a remarkable training performance when saddling three of the first five home in the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood in the summer and he was again able to highlight his knack with handicap sprinters by landing both the Ayr Silver and Gold Cups, with 8/1 shot Candy taking the consolation event 70 minutes before Run Boy Run landed the feature handicap of the meeting at odds of 12/1.

Both horses made almost all the running under George Wood and are owned by Phil Cunningham under the Rebel Racing banner.

“We’ve just got the right horses, and we’ve got a great team of staff at home who do an amazing job,” said Spencer. “We’ve been targeting all the major festivals this year. Phil wanted to give it a really good kick, coming racing and enjoying the weeks of festivals.”

Sky the limit for Moon

Catching The Moon (Richard Fahey/Oisin Orr) took the step up to Group 3 company in her stride to land the Ladbrokes “Get Rewarded With Ladbucks” Firth of Clyde, now Scotland’s only pattern contest.

The 15/2 shot was stepping up from a Class 5 Novice at Beverley and was giving her trainer a fourth win in the Fillies’ contest after Golden Legacy (2004), Umm Kulthum (2020) and Barefoot Angel (2022).

The daughter of No Nay Never travelled powerfully in midfield, despite racing on much the softest ground she has encountered, and she threw down a strong challenge to the pace-setting pair Lam Yai (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee) and Isle Of Fernandez (Kevin Tyan/Tom Eaves) at the furlong pole before going toe-to-toe with the former in a fine tussle that saw her edge the verdict by a neck, with Isle Of Fernandez holding third, another two and three-quarter lengths away.

The winner is a well-bred filly out of a half-sister to Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up Pearls And Rubies from the same family as Aidan O’Brien’s Oaks runner-up Quarter Moon, who also raced in the silks of Mrs Richard Henry.

“She’s chilled out,” said Oisin Orr on unsaddling. “We had a good position in behind the leaders. I travelled well, and she probably didn’t really enjoy the ground, but she got through it today. She’s picked up and done it nicely.

“On better ground, you will see her run better. She’s a lovely filly and she’s very straightforward. She’s one of the nicer fillies, and it’s great to be on her.”

ALMERIC (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) had been off the course for more than five months since an impressive win in the Feilden Stakes at Newmarket, but he didn’t look rusty as he ran out the comfortable winner of the Listed Doonside Cup, scoring by two and three-quarter lengths from King’s Gambit (Harry Charlton/James Doyle) to justify favouritism at 13/8. Liberty Lane (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee) was beaten a total of five lengths in third place.

Almeric was tipped for the top by his trainer after scoring at Newmarket in April, but connections have had to be patient with the son of Study Of Man, who is owned and bred by Kirsten Rausing.

Rausing was quick to nominate the Champion Stakes at Ascot as Almeric’s next target after the victory, a third in just four career starts, explaining: “It was always the plan, as Andrew has always maintained that he’s a Group 1 horse.

“He’s showing plenty of ability even now; he’s still lightly raced, so there’s room for gradually improving results, but the innate ability was there from the word go.”

Newbury Saturday

THE Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury on Saturday produced not one but two exciting prospects for 2026, as Words Of Truth (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) ran down Into The Sky (Jim Boyle/Pat Cosgrave) to win by a length after the runner-up had run green in front. The pair were over four lengths clear of third-placed finisher Flying Comet (Simon and Ed Crisford/Tom Marquand) with the field well stretched out.

Sands Of Spain led for the first couple of furlongs before being passed by Into The Sky, who took a strong hold early and quickened at halfway to look all over the winner, but he hung towards the centre of the track as he went clear and Words Of Truth closed inexorably until reeling in the leader in the dying strides.

The winner impressed with his professionalism and the manner in which he knuckled down in the last furlong, but as a gelding, his options are restricted. Into The Sky also left a deep impression to briefly go two lengths ahead, despite over-racing from the start, and he clearly has a huge amount of natural talent, as he showed when impressively defying odds of 80/1 on debut here last month.

Nice type

Alex Merriam, assistant trainer to Charlie Appleby, said: “Since Words Of Truth’s first run, all he’s done is improve. He’s a nice type and one to look forward to next year. He’s gelded, which cuts down his options a little bit, but Will thought he might get seven next year and we could work back from something like the Jersey Stakes.”

“The winner is a good horse,” said an upbeat Boyle. “But Into The Sky has run a hell of a race and he’s proved that first-time-out win wasn’t a fluke. Hopefully, there’s loads more to look forward to.

“We wouldn’t have taken this step lightly, but the manner of his victory last time warranted it. They both pulled a long way clear and to do that on his second start, I can only be thrilled, but a little bit gutted too. I won’t run him again this season.

“We always thought he was next year’s horse. What he’s done this year has been phenomenal, but we’ll speak to all the owners and come up with a plan. We might be thinking about the Greenham because he shows so much speed, but it’s far too early to be making any firm plans and we’ll put him away and let him strengthen up.”

One-three for delighted Haggas

The Group 3 Dubai International Airport World Trophy, over an extended five furlongs, went to 11/1 chance First Instinct (William Haggas/Tom Marquand), who finished strongly to beat the well-supported Shagraan (Mick Appleby/Kevin Stott).

The winner’s stablemate Montassib (Cieren Fallon), returning from an 11-month absence, was third and the distances were a neck and two lengths on ground described as good to soft. The field of 11 split into two groups, with the winner and third racing in the smaller group near the stands’ rail.

Haggas was delighted with the win, but equally so with Montassib, who had a setback in the spring and was having his first run at five furlongs, shaping well after getting detached briefly before halfway.

Of Montassib’s bid for the British Champions Sprint in October, Haggas said: “He was a bit rusty but stayed on well and hopefully that will stand him in good stead for a month’s time.

“He’s going to have to step up on the bare form, but he was a long way behind at halfway, so he’s done well to finish so close.”

Around The Tracks

JUST one Irish-trained winner in Britain last weekend, and that was at Newmarket on Saturday, where Reverend Hubert (Charles Byrnes/Harry Davies) ran out an eight-length winner of the Turner’s Cesarewitch Trial.

The seven-year-old finished eighth in the big Newmarket handicap a year ago and will effectively be running from the same mark if he heads back next month, with a 5lb penalty imposed for this success.

He needs a good gallop to bring his bottomless stamina into play, but looks as good as ever and merits serious consideration should he take his chance.