Tag Archive for: Newmarket

Adayar makes the perfect return to action at Newmarket

/in /by

Former Derby and King George winner Adayar showed a clean pair of heels to his four rivals in the rescheduled bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket.

Charlie Appleby’s Frankel entire had been sidelined for 11 months before winning a conditions event at Doncaster in September and followed that with a half-length defeat to Bay Bridge in the Champion Stakes at Ascot.

Making his seasonal bow as a five-year-old, William Buick’s mount was sent off the 5-6 favourite for the 10-furlong Group Three contest, which was saved after Sandown’s card was abandoned last weekend.

Despite the soft ground, his supporters never had any cause for concern, as the Godolphin-owned runner tracked stablemate Highland Avenue, himself making his return after 428 days off.

While James Doyle set out to make all, Adayar settled superbly in behind and taking it up on the bridle approaching a furlong out, William Buick’s mount lengthened with the minimum of fuss, striding clear to win by two and a half lengths.

Anmaat, who had a 5lb penalty for winning the Prix Dollar at ParisLongchamp in October, was a little keen early on, but stayed on well under Jim Crowley to overhaul Highland Avenue for second late on.

Adayar was subsequently cut to 7-2 (from 6-1) for the Coronation Cup and 16-1 (from 33-1) for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Coral, with Betfair going 7-2 from 9-2 for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Adayar did it nicely on his return
Adayar did it nicely on his return (Nigel French/PA)

Appleby is keen to head to the Royal meeting.

He said: “It’s tiring ground out there, he got tired and didn’t handle the dip, but good horses can overcome those negatives and still do what he’s done today.

“I’m very pleased to get him back on track, he’s had a nice experience out there today and he will definitely come forward for the run, so I’d imagine now it’s all systems go for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

“He and Hurricane Lane are two great racehorses and it’s great to get the pair of them back this week. We feel the mile and a half is going to be Hurricane Lane’s division this year and I’ve always wanted Adayar to try to win a Group One over a mile and a quarter as it will look very good on his CV.

“Better ground at Ascot would suit him, for sure. They went a sensible gallop today, but I think in a Prince of Wales’s where he’ll get a good, strong gallop to run at it will suit him really well, and we know he loves Ascot.

He added: “It was a frustrating time having to sit through the summer with him last year. We saw some great racehorses, but we had a horse that we were very excited about in the spring miss three-parts of the season. Hopefully we’ll make a bit of headway again this year.”

Owen Burrows was happy with Anmaat in defeat.

He said: “It was a solid run. I thought we were up against it giving 5lb to Adayar and he’s run his race. He needed to get his season started so I thought it was a good solid run. He battled away and it’s tough out there, it’s hard work.

“It was his first run of the year and we were giving away 5lb, so it’s solid. He’s in the Tattersalls Gold Cup in around three weeks’ time and the Prix d’Ispahan in France, so we’ll see how he comes out of this.

“We might try him over a little bit further at some stage. I don’t know when, but we’ll see.”

Royal lives up to Hi hopes with Classic second

/in /by

Connections of outsider Qipco 2000 Guineas runner-up Hi Royal were not surprised their colt outran his huge odds of 125-1 at Newmarket.

The Kevin Ryan-trained three-year-old only gave best to Chaldean inside the final furlong, despite veering across the track at one point, beaten a length and three-quarters at the line.

Royal Ascot may now beckon for the son of Kodiac, who was having just his fourth career start.

Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Jaber Abdullah, said: “That was no surprise as Kevin Ryan told us in the paddock that he thought the horse could run a big race and that he thought he would handle the ground.

“Kevin wants to get him home and see where we go next but he could be a Royal Ascot type.”

Oliver Cole, joint-trainer of third-placed Royal Scotsman along with his father Paul, is keen to take on the winner again at Royal Ascot.

“He’s run a massive race to be third, but he was a bit too keen in the early stages. He had no problem with the ground as he goes on anything,” said Cole.

“It was always the idea to come straight here and hopefully he can improve from this and we can have another crack at the winner at Royal Ascot.”

Aidan O’Brien’s Auguste Rodin, the 13-8 favourite, disappointed and came home 12th under Ryan Moore after failing to land a blow.

Stablemate Little Big Bear also disappointed and trailed home last under Wayne Lordan.

O’Brien said: “It was a little bit of a non-event. It was a non-event for Ryan’s horse and then Wayne’s horse got badly bumped and just got lit up. The whole thing was a bit of a non-event really. The travelling over is what it is.”

Lordan added of his mount: “He jumped smart and felt like he wanted to show me his pace. We didn’t go mad for the first two furlongs, something caught my heel and it wasn’t ideal after I’d gone two furlongs or so.

“It was a little bit of everything, so we’ll see what comes out of it.”

Kieran Shoemark, rider of Galeron who finished fourth as a 150-1 shot, said: “He’s run a massive race and he was well overpriced. I was wheel spinning early on, so he’s run well despite the ground. He’s a good horse.”

While Daniel Muscutt, rider of the fifth-placed Dubai Mile, confirmed he stayed the trip very strongly and that the Derby now beckons for him.

He said: “It was a great run. I hit the gates nicely and travelled comfortably. The ground has helped, he hit a bit of a flat spot but saw out his race really well and hit the line great.”

James Doyle, rider of the sixth-placed Noble Style, said: “He ran super and I’m delighted with him. It probably just stretched him a bit in this ground but he travelled tremendously. I got a lovely position in the race just behind Frankie (Dettori, on Chaldean), but his stamina just didn’t last out.”

David Egan felt Mill Reef winner Sakheer would be better off dropping back in trip after finishing seventh.

“I was really pleased with the way he ran. There was a lot of hustle and bustle in front of me but I took him back and he settled into a lovely rhythm,” said Egan.

“The race unfolded on the other side, which I wasn’t really anticipating. Chaldean was a great winner and he was drawn low, but I was expecting it to unfold on my side early. When I asked him to quicken he seemed to handle the ground, but maybe a mile on soft ground is stretching him too far.”

Fabulous Frankie begins farewell tour with Guineas glory

/in /by

No one does Hollywood scripts quite like Frankie Dettori, but even by his standards winning aboard Chaldean on his final ride in the Qipco 2000 Guineas was something out of a fairytale.

It is almost five months since the 52-year-old announced that 2023 would be the year he will bring the curtain down on the most glittering of riding careers that has spanned nearly four decades.

Dettori has won just about every big race going in every corner of the globe during that time, but Newmarket has for so long been the place he calls home, so if this is to be his final Classic success, it was a fitting place to do it.

“I’m not dreaming am I? I’m feeling everything,” he said afterwards.

“It is just so surreal. I feel like I’m dreaming. It is a bit dark, like your dreams are. Emotionally, it is my last one and to win it is amazing. Now it is sinking in and the tears are coming.”

As the winner of last season’s Dewhurst Stakes, the Andrew Balding-trained Chaldean had an obvious chance of giving the popular Italian a fourth 2000 Guineas success.

Admittedly his season got off to an inauspicious start, with Dettori unceremoniously dumped on the Newbury turf not long after the gates opened in the Greenham Stakes a fortnight ago, but as he so often has over the years, Dettori got it right on the day that mattered most.

Frankie Dettori and Chaldean return to the Newmarket winner's enclosure
Frankie Dettori and Chaldean return to the Newmarket winner’s enclosure (Nigel French/PA)

He added: “After what happened at Newbury I thought ‘at least stay on this time’!

“Andrew always had faith in the horse and he’s done nothing wrong. He doesn’t overdo himself in the morning and the rain didn’t bother me. The only thing I was bothered about was that perhaps I didn’t have anything to race with.”

Never too far off the pace, Chaldean made light of the testing conditions and once he had seen off the sustained challenge of 125-1 shot Hi Royal, it was clear Dettori’s mount had the race in safe keeping.

The grey Suffolk skies ensured most in attendance got a good soaking, but that did not stop the majority hotfooting it to the winner’s enclosure to give the rider a deserved rapturous reception, after which he treated them to his trademark flying dismount.

Dettori might have been there, done it and got the t-shirt, but he was left fighting back the tears in the immediate aftermath.

He said: “Let me savour the moment. My emotions are all over the place. I don’t know whether I want to cry or laugh.

“I thought I had a chance, but when I crossed that line my emotions were all over the place.

“I’m happy and I want to cry. My son is here and my wife is watching at home. Of course it’s my last one and winning it makes it sweeter.

“I couldn’t have written a better story myself. It’s very special and I’m looking forward to watching it again and reliving the moment.”

O’Brien bidding to continue 1000 Guineas domination

/in /by

Aidan O’Brien has won the Qipco 1000 Guineas five times in the last seven years and the master of Ballydoyle will go in search of his eighth victory overall in the Newmarket Classic with Breeders’ Cup heroine Meditate.

A regular in the big races last term, the daughter of No Nay Never won the Albany at Royal Ascot and a Group Two at the Curragh before finishing second behind reopposing duo Tahiyra and Lezoo in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Cheveley Park respectively.

Then came Meditate’s moment of truth at Keeneland when she put herself in the 1000 Guineas picture by triumphing on her first try at a mile.

“We weren’t sure, going to America, whether she would stay or not and it was on a bend. We took our time on her, it was her first time going over a mile and she won very easily,” said O’Brien.

“We ran her over seven (furlongs) at the Curragh on soft ground and we rode her very forward. She ran a very good race, but Dermot’s filly came and got her so we went to America.

“Obviously it was up in trip again, Ryan (Moore) took his time on her and she relaxed lovely, but came home very well. That’s going to be an interesting one, there’s a big difference in the track in America – a flat, round track – and a straight track like Newmarket.

“We’re going to learn a lot about her, she’s a very lazy worker at home who only shows you what she has to. Unless you stoke her up she just stays in second gear really, but we’re very happy with her work.”

One man to briefly halt O’Brien’s recent dominance is Richard Hannon with Billesdon Brook in 2018 and he is double-handed this time with Mammas Girl and Powerdress.

Mammas Girl ridden by jockey Sean Levey on their way to winning the Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes
Mammas Girl ridden by jockey Sean Levey on their way to winning the Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes (Tim Goode/PA)

Mammas Girl landed the Nell Gwyn last month and although unproven over a mile, is unbeaten in two starts at the track.

“She obviously won the Nell Gwyn and is unbeaten,” said Tom Pennington, racing and operations manager at Amo Racing.

“She goes there having won twice at the track and some experts have said she is not going to get the trip, but I disagree. In her two starts, her last furlong has been her best and she has hit the line strong both times. She’s a relaxed and laid-back filly and I really don’t see the mile being an issue.

“She will be held up and ridden patiently to come with one late run like she has done both times. She’s just ticked over since the Nell Gwyn and Richard is very happy with her.

“To go there with a leading contender is really exciting and she goes there with a good chance.”

Amo also have a useful second string to their bow with Olivia Maralda, who will make her first start for Roger Varian.

“She’s not a bad second string to have and I think she is too big a price if you think she ran Meditate to three-quarters of a length in Ireland last year,” continued Pennington.

“She hasn’t missed a day with Roger and he’s really pleased with her. Whether she is good enough to win, who knows, but she goes there in good form.”

Ralph Beckett hit the crossbar with Prosperous Voyage in this 12 months ago and along with owners Marc Chan and Andrew Rosen will attempt to go one better with Lezoo – who will be a final 1000 Guineas ride for Frankie Dettori.

“We thought about a trial, but she’s pretty experienced and she’s not a filly who needs a race,” said Beckett ahead of the Qipco British Champions Series contest.

Lezoo winning the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket
Lezoo winning the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket (David Davies/PA)

“We decided it was likely to prove inconclusive with regards to her stamina, and that it made more sense to run her in the Guineas and find out for sure one way or another, then drop her back to sprints if she didn’t stay. She’s had a pretty straightforward preparation and she’s ready for this. She did her last bit on the grass on Tuesday and that went well.”

The handler is also represented by Fred Darling scorer Remarquee, who will attempt to follow in the footsteps of Beckett’s first Classic winner Look Here and land big-race success for owner Julian Richmond-Watson.

He continued: “Remarquee is the obvious one. She didn’t really get the run of the race and Rob (Hornby) dropped his stick with half a furlong to run, yet she still won with one ear pricked, having wandered around. She’ll have learned a lot.

“We’ve been here before, having won a few Fred Darlings, and it can be tough getting a filly back in time for the Guineas, but all of the signs are good. She didn’t have a hard race and I’m very happy with her.”

Hugo Palmer’s Stenton Glider had to settle for the silver medal behind Remarquee at Newbury and will now attempt to turn the tables as the duo move up to a mile.

He said: “She’s in great form. I just flicked through the 21st century winners of the 1000 Guineas and from what I can see, 10 of the winners had trialled and only four of those winners who trialled had actually won their trial.

“More horses have been beaten in their trial than won their trial.

“She was beaten two-foot at Newbury and so we’re going to give it a very good go.”

Also beaten in her trial was Clive Cox’s Nell Gwyn fourth Karsavina.

“I’m really pleased with her and she’s a progressive filly,” said Cox.

“The Nell Gwyn was precisely as it was intended as a trial and I feel she has come back really well from there.

“An extra furlong will be most helpful. She has a lot of class and moved up well through the race in the Nell Gwyn and I’m looking forward to seeing her going another furlong.”

One horse proven over the track and trip is Caernarfon, winner of the Montrose Fillies’ Stakes last autumn.

That victory was the perfect way for Mick Channon to bow out – while it would prove fitting if she kick-started the training career of his son Jack on her very next start.

“She is in great form and trained really well all winter and her work, touch wood, has been perfect. I think we’ve got her exactly where we want her and it will be down to simply whether she is good enough now,” said the West Ilsley handler.

“I always thought she had plenty of experience. It is not like she’s won her maiden and that’s all there is. She had a decent amount of experience as a two-year-old, she won over course and distance last time and she is not a filly who is too hard to get fit.

“She looks to have improved and she is not the most imposing type, but she is very athletic and I could not be any happier with her at this moment in time.”

Fabre fires twin assault on Dahlia Stakes

/in /by

Andre Fabre is double-handed in the Howden Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket on Sunday with Life In Motion and Hidden Dimples both bidding for Group Two honours.

The master trainer has won the nine-furlong contest twice before, with Esoterique in 2014 and Usherette two years later.

Like Usherette, Life In Motion is owned by Godolphin and has won four of her last five outings, progressing nicely with each run.

Hidden Dimples, who will be ridden by Ryan Moore with Mickael Barzalona on Life In Motion, finished third behind her stablemate last time out in a Listed race at ParisLongchamp – but Fabre expects the distance between the pair to be narrowed on this occasion.

“It looks an interesting race for both of them. They both ran in a Listed race at Longchamp last time out, which Life In Motion won,” said Fabre.

“They are two nice mares. Hidden Dimples spent the winter at the farm, so she needed the race much more than the other one. She’s a solid mare.

“They should both run well. Life In Motion did well at three and that has continued. She did not have an injury last summer, there were just no suitable races for her and then I brought her back in the autumn to win twice.”

With The Moonlight last ran in America
With The Moonlight last ran in America (Tim Goode/PA)

Charlie Appleby’s With The Moonlight, last seen finishing second in a Grade One in America will also sport the Godolphin blue.

Roger Varian’s Al Husn is unbeaten but this represents a major step up in class. She is owned by Shadwell, who also run the John and Thady Gosden-trained Shaara.

Ralph Beckett’s Prosperous Voyage, second in the 1000 Guineas last season and winner of the Falmouth, also runs with Astral Beau, Random Harvest and Via Sistina completing the line up.

Chaldean presents Dettori with final 2000 Guineas strike

/in /by

Frankie Dettori won the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Chaldean on what was his final ride in the Classic.

The Italian is retiring at the end of the current season and knew he had one more shot at glory in the historic race, to add to his three previous victories in the mile contest.

Never far from the pace, Chaldean (7-2) took a lead off Hi Royal who was just about still in front when he veered across the track, which enabled Dettori to forge into the lead.

The Andrew Balding-trained winner had to dig deep, but he eventually came home a length-and-three-quarter winner from 125-1 shot Hi Royal. Royal Scotsman (11-1) was third with 150-1 chance Galeron in fourth.

Auguste Rodin was sent off the 13-8 favourite but was never travelling for Ryan Moore and trailed home well beaten.

With rain falling throughout the day, the ground had turned soft and the likes of Little Big Bear and Sakheer, who had to prove their stamina, drifted markedly in the betting.

On the other hand Chaldean was well supported, from 5-1 to 7-2 and Dettori always looked comfortable.

Hi Royal briefly gave him something to think about and really stretched the field, with all bar the winner and Royal Scotsman treading water.

Chaldean strode out purposefully, though, to give Balding a second 2000 Guineas success after Kameko in 2020. The famous Juddmonte colours were last carried to glory by the brilliant Frankel, Chaldean’s sire, in 2011.

Dettori said: “I was in a fight with Oisin (Murphy on Hi Royal) and once I got rid of him, I thought ‘I’m sure something is going to come’, but I saw plenty of daylight.

“I can’t believe it’s happened really. My last (2000) Guineas, to win it in front of my home crowd, amazing.

“Winning Classics is difficult. It’s my last season and to cap it off with a Classic is beyond my wildest dreams.”

Balding said: “I was a bit worried about the mile in this ground, but he’s just done a wonderful job, Frankie. We’re making the most of our unconventional prep race (unseated in the Greenham), we might set a trend there!

Andrew Balding was winning his second 2000 Guineas
Andrew Balding was winning his second 2000 Guineas (David Davies/PA)

“It was a concern beforehand, but it did him some good because he got out there. I’m just thrilled, what a brilliant ride.

“What can’t you say about Frankie? Since I’ve been involved in the sport he’s been an omnipresent superstar of the sport and what a fitting way to ride his last 2000 Guineas.

“He always looked to be travelling comfortably, I was just a bit worried about getting past Oisin (Murphy, on Hi Royal) because he can get extra lengths out of horse but once we collared him, I was fairly confident.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for a long while, it’s a mixture of relief and elation. It will probably sink in in a bit, it’s a big deal.”

Of next steps for the colt, Balding added: “Let’s enjoy today but Ascot (St James’s Palace Stakes) would seem the obvious target.

Chaldean passes the post
Chaldean passes the post (David Davies/PA)

“He is in the Irish 2,000 Guineas but he has had a hard race today and giving him as much time between races would be sensible.

“If we did go up in trip, I would imagine it wouldn’t be until York (Juddmonte International).”

Chaldean is owned by Juddmonte, the racing and breeding operation founded by the late Prince Khalid Abdullah.

Prince Saud, Abdullah’s son, said of the victory: “I have to say we have seen the best of the horse today against his own capabilities and traits and I’m very happy to win it.

“I just want to thank and congratulate Frankie.

“I would also like to congratulate the trainer as he has done a great job. I want to thank everyone in Juddmonte as they have done a splendid job.”

Vadream swoops late to grab Palace prize

/in /by

Vadream came from way off the pace to catch the long-time leader Live In The Dream and win the Howden Palace House Stakes at Newmarket.

The mare had won the Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster on Lincoln day but she finished in mid-division when sent out again quickly six days later for All-Weather Finals Day.

Having her first run over the minimum distance in this Group Three, she was perhaps not surprisingly taken off her feet in the early stages.

Part of the reason for that was the lightning pace set by Live In The Dream, who had everything on the stretch going into the dip.

Just when it looked as if Sean Kirrane was going to be celebrating the biggest winner of his career on Adam West’s speedster, Charlie Fellowes’ mare began to hit top gear.

Kieran Shoemark, who now has a 100 per cent record on her from two attempts, brought Vadream with a withering run nearest to the stands and the 7-1 shot got up by half a length. Manaccan was third.

Fellowes said: “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t delighted when the rain came last night and then more this morning.

“She just loves it (soft ground). She’s a very good mare, but she has to have her conditions and she got them today.

“I’d say the Duke of York (May 17)_is unlikely, it probably comes a bit soon. We’ll just run her where the conditions are right as she’s very clearly best on good to soft or softer.

“When she gets her conditions, she’s going to be very dangerous in whatever race she turns up in.”

Azure Blue shines in Chaloner contest

/in /by

Azure Blue continued her love affair with Newmarket in the Howden British EBF Ellen Chaloner Stakes.

The Michael Dods-trained filly returned to Headquarters unbeaten in two previous outings on the Rowley Mile, while she also has a victory at the July Course on her CV.

Making her first appearance since landing the Boadicea Stakes in October, the four-year-old was a 7-2 joint-favourite to claim another Listed prize and after travelling powerfully to the lead, she had kept enough up her sleeve to repel the late challenge of her market rival Heredia by half a length.

Dods said: “We’ve been delighted with her at home and she was fit enough to run, but we do think there’s quite a bit of improvement to come.

“Paul (Mulrennan) had ridden her in a few bits of work and was very happy with her and she does seem to have speeded up a lot since last season.”

Azure Blue holds an entry in the 1895 Duke of York Clipper Stakes at York on May 17, but is not certain to make the trip to the Knavesmire.

“It was an early closing race so we put her in it. I’ll speak to the owner and see,” Dods added.

“She’s a big filly who wouldn’t want the ground too fast, so where she goes will depend on the ground.”

Charlie Appleby’s King Of Conquest denied the King a winner on his coronation day in the nine-furlong Howden Suffolk Stakes.

The winner was a 7-1 shot to supplement a winter success in Bahrain and knuckled down for William Buick to deny Frankie Dettori aboard Saga by a head.

Appleby said: “He’s a horse who ran well to finish second here in soft ground last year and when he won in Bahrain, Richie (Mullen, jockey) said he hated the ground and was crying out to step up in trip.

“Today the plan was to be positive on him as I was confident with the ground and I was confident with the way that William was going to ride him that they’d have to outstay him.

“We haven’t really planned beyond this, but I’d say he’s a good handicapper – he’s going to have to improve a good bit to be a black type horse.”

Probe claimed a lucrative victory at Newmarket
Probe claimed a lucrative victory at Newmarket (Nigel French/PA)

Probe (15-2) provided trainer Jennie Candlish with her first Newmarket winner in the £100,000 Howden Handicap under Kieran O’Neill.

Candlish’s partner and assistant, Alan O’Keeffe, said: “I’m happy because he’s a proper horse, he’s always showed us that.

“We thought he was better than his rating. We haven’t got many Flat horses, but Jennie does a good job with them, whether they’re three-mile chasers or six-furlong sprinters.

“These are the places you want to be and it’s great for a yard like ours.”

Teumessias Fox won the opening race at Newmarket on Saturday
Teumessias Fox won the opening race at Newmarket on Saturday (Nigel French/PA)

A 10lb rise in the weights for was not enough to prevent Andrew Balding’s 100-30 favourite Teumessias Fox making it back-to-back wins in the Howden Handicap.

The four-year-old bolted up on his first start since being gelded at Kempton in March and followed up with a comfortable three-and-a-quarter-length success in the hands of Oisin Murphy.

Balding said: “He’s a horse we thought a lot of last year, he ran in a Derby trial at one stage and sort of lost his way after (Royal) Ascot.

“He’s been gelded and had a good break and I think we’ve learnt he wants his races spaced out.

“Hopefully he doesn’t go up too much to get into one of the Ascot handicaps. I would have thought the mile and a half (Duke of Edinburgh Stakes), but we’ll probably put him in the Copper Horse as well.”

Saga just fails in quest for coronation day victory

/in /by

Saga narrowly failed to give the King and Queen a winner on their coronation day after he was beaten in a photo at Newmarket.

Partnered by Frankie Dettori, the John and Thady Gosden-trained Saga was sent off an 8-1 shot for the Howden Suffolk Stakes.

He travelled well throughout the contest, but Dettori briefly struggled to find a clear passage when the race began in earnest and while Saga made up significant ground in the closing stages of the nine-furlong affair, King Of Conquest had already flown.

Saga was beaten a head at the line, with the four-year-old going down by the same distance when bidding to give the late Queen a final Royal Ascot win in the Britannia Stakes last term.

Dettori said: “Almost! He ran a super race, I couldn’t go when I wanted to and William (Buick) got a couple of lengths on me, but he ran a super race.

“Oh yes (it was a thrill to wear these colours). I watched the whole thing (coronation) this morning, it was pretty special wasn’t it? I know I’m old, but I’ve not seen one before!”

Gosden said: “He ran great. It wasn’t his fault, he didn’t get the gap in time. William (Buick) got first run (on King Of Conquest) and we had to wait to get through and then he ran out of real estate at the end, but he ran a super race.

“He was slightly unfortunate not to get there but it’s nobody’s fault, that’s racing. We’ll probably step up to a mile and a quarter and take it from there.”

The Richard Hughes-trained Candle Of Hope had earlier finished fourth in the same colours in the Listed William Hill Conqueror Fillies’ Stakes at Goodwood.

Stoute-trained Infinite Cosmos rockets to Oaks favouritism

/in /by

Infinite Cosmos is the new favourite for next month’s Betfred Oaks following an impressive display on her seasonal reappearance at Newmarket.

Narrowly beaten on her debut at Doncaster in the autumn, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained daughter of Sea The Stars was already a single-figure price for the Epsom Classic with some bookmakers ahead of her return in the Nyetimber Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

With Ryan Moore in the plate, Infinite Cosmos was the 8-11 favourite to cement her Classic claims and did so in some style, overcoming signs of inexperience to score by just over four lengths.

Stoute did his best to downplay her performance in the immediate aftermath, but Paddy Power nevertheless make her their 6-1 market leader from 8-1 for the Oaks, while Unibet were even more impressed and offer just 4-1.

“It was very pleasing. I didn’t think she was particularly impressive there, she was workmanlike, but she is a work in progress and still a little bit green and babyish, so hopefully that will have done her the power of good,” said the Freemason Lodge handler.

“I’d say she’s developed pleasingly from two to three. They don’t all do that, but I’d say she has.

“We’ll take her back and work her and see how much we think she has progressed from this race, but hopefully she’s going to be in stakes races.

“We’ll run her in a trial and make a decision (on the Oaks) after that. I don’t think she’s going to be sparkling at this stage of her career as she needs to grow up.

“The ground was very soft at Doncaster and she went through that and today it’s on the slow side of good and she handles that. I think she may be impervious to ground.”

Soprano strides clear at Newmarket
Soprano strides clear at Newmarket (David Davies/PA)

Soprano appears to have booked her ticket to Royal Ascot after justifying cramped odds on her first competitive start in the British EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

Plenty was expected of George Boughey’s Highclere-owned juvenile as the 6-4 favourite and she came up with the goods, passing the post with just under two lengths in hand to complete a treble on the card for champion jockey William Buick.

Dramatised won the five-furlong contest last year before going on to land the Queen Mary at the Royal meeting, but Boughey views the extra furlong of the Albany Stakes as a more suitable target for Soprano – a race in which the trainer’s subsequent 1000 Guineas heroine Cachet finished fifth in 2021.

Boughey said: “It’s always a case of first day at school and I do think she’ll step up for that. She was a bit green at one point, but she’s bred to get further and we thought that if she could get to the dip she’d come out of it really well.

“I was keen to come to the track earlier than we did with Cachet as they need to learn and she was still doing that there. She probably needs another run before (Royal Ascot), I don’t really know where but the Albany has got to be the plan. ”

The Gatekeeper (100-30 favourite) galloped his rivals into submission in the Nyetimber Handicap under Andrea Atzeni, keeping enough up his sleeve from the front to score by a length from Star Of Orion.

Owners Middleham Park Racing were completing a quickfire double following the victory of Shouldvebeenaring in the preceding King Charles II Stakes.

The Gatekeeper (centre) winning at Newmarket
The Gatekeeper (centre) winning at Newmarket (David Davies/PA)

The Gatekeeper’s trainer Charlie Johnston said: “Fair play to the the Middleham Park team as they’ve had to be very patient with this horse. He was a very talented two-year-old and missed the guts of two years through injury, so it’s great that they retained the faith and he’s paying them back in spades.

“After two furlongs I thought it was game over after they gave him an easy lead as we know he stays further. I thought if he was in front coming out of the dip he wasn’t going to get caught and his last furlong was his best furlong.

“He’s going to be flexible between seven furlongs and a mile and we’ll work back from the Buckingham Palace at Royal Ascot.”

And Johnston and Atzeni got in the double act themselves, when Outbreak (9-2 joint-favourite) took the concluding Race Horse Lotto Handicap.