bet365 Fillies’ Mile (Group 1)
MUSICAL Times, trained by Charlie Appleby, looked a class apart as she took the Group 1 bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket on Friday.
Sent off a red-hot 4/9 favourite, she was caught behind horses on the stands’ rail with the field moving there in search of the fastest ground, with Exceptionally taking them along at a swinging gallop.
Haven (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) briefly threatened to steal the race when sweeping past her pacemaker on the outer of the group, and she still led clearly at the furlong marker, but the favourite had extracted herself from a pocket by that point and soon set off in hot pursuit, easing past in the last 100 yards to win with something to spare despite her margin of victory being a length.
The pair pulled over three lengths clear of Forbidden Fire (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy), who got the best of a three-way photo for third.
Paddy Power slashed the winner to 5/2 from 5/1 for the Betfred 1000 Guineas next spring and that didn’t seem like an overreaction to what was a deeply impressive performance in a race that didn’t exactly play out as planned for the winner.
”Gorgeous filly”
On the way the race unfolded, Buick said: “When I realised we were going stands’ side, you see so many hard-luck stories, I knew getting an exit wasn’t going to be easy.
“I had a couple of options, but every time I asked her to pick up she did. I asked her to quicken into the Dip which isn’t easy for a two-year-old. She’s a gorgeous filly and I’m really looking forward to her as a three-year-old. A mile and a quarter could be within her grasp.”
Appleby added: “I’m obviously delighted. After the first two furlongs I thought ‘let’s just see what is happening here’ and I was hoping for a bit luck. Will was on the class filly in the race, and he could see that he knew it himself. He was just trying to find those gaps where possible, and thankfully he got them at the right time, and she quickened up smartly. When I say smartly, she had to work hard, but she had a bit of traffic to get through, so she would have learned plenty.
“What I liked about her today was that she went down to post good today, whereas at Doncaster she was a bit of a handful. We will do our usual and have a racecourse gallop and come into the 1000 Guineas.”
Haggas one-two
Later on the card, Buick rode the Group 1-placed Touleen for trainer Owen Burrows in the Group 3 Newmarket Pony Academy Pride Stakes but the 10-furlong race was dominated by the two William Haggas runners, Song Of The Clouds (Cieren Fallon) and Silver Lake (James Doyle) who came up opposite sides of the Rowley Mile.
Just a head separated them at the line, 11/4 favourite Song Of The Clouds prevailing, with the pair four lengths clear.
Yet another by Night Of Thunder, the winner has now won three of her four starts and looks the ideal type to remain in training.
THE Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes saw another course record fall at Newmarket as Mussab (Richard and Peter Fahey/Oisin Orr) hung on by a nose from the fast-finishing In The Black (Geoff Oldroyd/P.J. McDonald) after the field had been taken along at a fast pace by Carry The Flag, who weakened late having looked to have slipped his field at one point.
The winning time was 56.98s, shading the previous two-year-old best set by Beckford’s Folly in the same contest 12 months earlier. Fast Track (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) was third, almost three lengths behind the winner.
Winner of the Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes at Ayr last month, Mussab is progressing rapidly and is likely to take his chance in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, which his co-trainer thinks will suit the son of Ten Sovereigns.
“We have got him on the list for the Breeders’ Cup,” confirmed Peter Fahey. “I think the five and a half furlongs around Keeneland will be ideal as he has got loads of speed.
“He has an unbelievable attitude as he walks around like a pony. I think he will enjoy it out there as he is so agile and you can put him where you want in a race. He has plenty of speed, and he stays very well, so we are looking forward to it.”
NEVER So Brave (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) led home a one-two for prospective champion trainer Andrew Balding in the Group 2 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes.
The five-year-old was always to the fore and stayed on gamely to repel the renewed challenge of favourite and stablemate Flora Of Bermuda (James Doyle) to score by a neck, with Time To Turn (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) just a short-head further away in third.
Somewhat surprisingly, it was Flora Of Bermuda who broke on top before being restrained as Witness Stand took over his familiar forcing role, and he broke away to race on the far side along with Holguin as Flora of Bermuda led the larger group on the stands side. Never So Brave led overall with a furlong to travel having tanked through the race, but he was all out in the end as he gained a belated first win of what had been a frustrating campaign.
“He’s a very talented horse,” said Balding. “Things haven’t gone his way this year [but] hopefully that will do his confidence some good. I’m delighted he could get a win, as he’s a pleasure to have in the yard and I’m really pleased for him and his owner.
“We’re thinking of possibly going to Hong Kong but he’ll go in his coat at some point. We’ll have to speak to his owner.”
Lola stars for Millman
Rod Millman turned up another gem when Guy O’Callaghan’s homebred Lola De Valence (Saffie Osborne) sprung a huge shock in the Group 3 Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes.
The 40/1 shot didn’t break well from the stalls but made ground up hand over first in the final two furlongs and stayed on best to beat Sweltering (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) and Topaz (Jack Channon/Finley Marsh) by a neck and a head under a well-judged ride.
Winner of a Nottingham novice on her second start, Lola De Valence had come up short in previous blacktype attempts at Salisbury (Dick Poole Stakes) and Fairyhouse (Blenheim Stakes), but she appreciated the step up to seven furlongs to show improved form and Millman can now dream about Newmarket in May.
“I was hoping that she would finish in the first four as we do think a lot of this filly,” said the winning handler. “She won her maiden well then we ran her in the Dick Poole. Salisbury have done a great job with the ground all year, but as soon as it rained it went really soft, and she got stuck in the ground. She went to Fairyhouse, but she missed the break and she had to come the whole way around the field and ended up being the fastest finisher in the race so you could mark that run up.
“We are only a little yard, but if we get the right horse we can do it. I thought she would see the trip out given the way she finished at Fairyhouse.
“I’d say that would probably be her done for the season. She would get a penalty in the Bosra Sham back here, but we will probably come back for the 1000 Guineas as she has just won a Group 3.”