Hamish joins an elite club with successful Ormonde Stakes defence
Hamish became the first horse in over 20 years to secure back-to-back victories in the tote.co.uk Bet £5 Get £20 Ormonde Stakes at Chester.
The William Haggas-trained gelding may be a seven-year-old, but he has been raced sparingly, with this only his 15th career start.
His six previous victories include three at Group Three level, with his win on the Roodee supplemented by success in the Cumberland Lodge at Ascot in October.
With conditions to suit, Hamish (7-4) was given plenty of time to find his feet by Tom Marquand as 11-10 favourite Changingoftheguard set out to make all.
The complexion of the race changed before the home turn when Changingoftheguard came under pressure while Hamish was only getting going and he was ultimately good value for the winning margin of a length and a quarter. Lone Eagle stuck to his task well to split the pair in second.
Hamish is only the fourth horse to win a second Ormonde Stakes and the first since St Expedit claimed successive wins in 2001 and 2002.
Maureen Haggas, assistant to her husband, said: “He was second in the Irish Leger last year and is in at York (Yorkshire Cup) next week. He could run there if there was some cut in the ground and he told us he was ready, as William’s father (Brian Haggas, owner) loves York.
“He had a tendon injury as a four-year-old – who knows what he might have achieved without that? But he’s one Andrew Tinkler and I fight to ride (at home), you get such an attachment to a horse like him.
“He once ran on good to firm at Newbury but he won’t be asked to race on anything faster than genuine good ground again.
“The whole family like a bit of cut in the ground, and all credit to him today as it wasn’t run to suit him.”
