Florida calling for red-hot youngster Billy Loughnane
Billy Loughnane continued his red-hot form with a double at a frosty Wolverhampton on Wednesday – and his reward will be a trip to the warmth of Florida for a month to further hone his trade.
The apprentice rode a treble at Dunstall Park on Monday, including two winners for his father, Mark.
And the family partnership teamed up successfully with City Escape and Broughtons Flare to make it 12 winners for the young rider since the turn of the year.
City Escape (5-1) earned his third win at the track, with Loughnane showing plenty of confidence to collar Richard R H B in the extended nine-furlong BetUK over 40,000 Live Streamed Races Handicap.
And after 11-4 favourite Broughtons Flare backed up a course and distance win nine days previously in the extended mile of the Spreadex Sports Best Premier League Football Odds Handicap, getting the better of Hot Day by a short head, the trainer revealed his plans for the youngster.
“It’s happy days, but we’ll probably send him to America now,” he said.
“I’m not sure if it is the right thing to do, as it is very hard to stop momentum.
“He is going to a friend of mine in Miami, David Meah. He has 20 horses out there and a lad down the road has 50.
“He is not going out there to ride races, he is just going to learn pace. It is different gravy and he will come back better – and that’s what we want. I’m as proud as punch, though.”
David Loughnane (not related) was also among the winners, as Plumette (11-1) came with a wet sail to mow down The Nail Gunner in the dying strides of the seven-furlong handicap under Rossa Ryan.
Though Ryan found gaps closing on him at every turn, he eventually found daylight as the mare went on to score following a 168-day break.
“I probably thought she was a pound or two too high, but she always runs well fresh,” said Loughnane.
“We have kept her nice and fresh and she’s only 80 per cent fit. I knew she’d be doing her best work near the line.”
That made it a double for Ryan, who had earlier scored on the James Tate newcomer Majestic Warrior, a close relation to the useful Bright Approach, who justified favouritism in the extended nine-furlong maiden, scoring by a handy two and a quarter lengths, despite running green.
Ryan Sexton made plenty of waves last season with a half-century of winners and the 3lb claimer was on the mark for trainer Alan Brown when Crownthorpe (13-2) battled back to deny Fast Style in the extended mile handicap.
It was the former Richard Fahey-trained eight-year-old’s second win in as many starts since joining the North Yorkshire yard.
“Changing yards has done him the world of good,” said Sexton. “He’s a decent enough horse going forward. Alan’s horses are bouncing and they are all coming into form now.
“He normally gets dropped out and comes with a late run, but there was no pace on today, so we said we would get on with it. He seemed to be enjoying it. Every time I gave him a squeeze, he picked up. He just found another gear.”
The Tony Carroll-trained Kensington Agent (4-1) was fresh from a 51-day break and dropped in trip, she duly gained a first all-weather success in the six-furlong handicap under Clifford Lee.
She had gone close at Kempton last time over seven furlongs, but this was the four-year-old’s first success since scoring at Bath in June 2021.
Lee said: “She ran well the last day when and has done everything well this time. She was back to six and I got first run.”
