15 October 2018

Hot Stuff

This Dubawi colt, hot from winning his first three career races, two at Sandown and the other at Doncaster, was, as expected, the clear even-money favourite in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. The John Gosden-trained Too Darn Hot, making his Group One debut, started off a little too keenly but settled down after about a furlong. In the early stages the seven-furlong contest was dominated by the Aidan O'Brien-trained Christmas, who set the pace, with with his stable companion, Anthony Van Dyck and Martyn Meade's Advertise in close pursuit. Too Darn Hot switched to the right about two furlongs out and started to make headway entering final furlong. There were a few anxious moments when the Lord Lloyd Webber-owned two-year-old looked like he had too much on his plate but, once a gap opened up, he stormed home by two and three-quarter lengths.

Major Victory

The former British flat racing Champion Apprentice added another lucrative success to her credit at York. Josephine Gordon was aboard the Kevin Ryan-trained Major Jumbo, lining up in the seventeen-strong Coral Sprint Trophy. The Zebedee grey finished off his last season with success over this course and distance, followed by a win at Newmarket in April. Since then he has been knocking on the door without success but has produced some fine performances in defeat. The four-year-old's recent disappointment was finishing close to the tail end of the field in Ayr Gold Cup. Major Jumbo recovered his old form on the Knavesmire, though, when he got the better of a drawn-out duel with his stable companion, Teruntum Star and managed to repel the late challenge of the aptly-named Flying Pursuit and claim the prize by by three-quarters of a length.

Italian Star

A Sardinian-born jockey was the star of the the British contingent in Canada. Andrea Atzeni notched up not one but two Grade 1 wins at the Ontario track. First of all the twenty-seven-year-old rider partnered the David Simcock-trained Desert Encounter to victory in the Pattison Canadian International. This Canadian International developed into a battle between the eventual winner and Thundering Blue, trained by David Menuisier, who both pulled clear in the last two furlongs and battled it out to the line. Fran Berry was in a better position on the inside with plenty of space and looked to be able to call the tune. The Halling grey, however, was just getting started as they approached the final furlong pole and came with a sweeping run to go a length clear of his rival. The double came in the very next race, the ten-furlong E.P.Taylor Stakes, when Andrea Atzeni was aboard the Roger Varian-trained Sheikha Reika. This three-year-old Shamardal filly secured her third career victory after taking the lead about seventy-five yards from home and beating Golden Legend by three-quarters of a length.