St Leger runner-up Rahiebb inspired Gold Cup dreams when making a winning return in the Boodles Yorkshire Cup on the Knavesmire.
Roger Varian’s Frankel colt found only Scandinavia too good at Doncaster in September and was making slightly belated return at York having been a late withdrawal from the Ormonde Stakes at Chester last week.
After travelling kindly in the hands of Ray Dawson as Ralph Beckett’s 8-13 favourite Amiloc cut out the running, Rahiebb (4-1) moved stylishly into contention and when hitting the front showcased his stamina to pull two and a quarter lengths clear of Tom Clover’s Al Nayyir in second.
The winner was immediately cut to 7-1 from 14s for Royal Ascot’s staying showpiece, where he could rematch his Town Moor conqueror.
Varian said: “That was lovely to watch, it was very smooth and he’s a lovely horse.
“He had a long year and was learning on the job all season really, he made his debut at Newcastle in February and finished up in the St Leger.
“He was such a baby last year, he was doing a lot of things wrong but still running well. He’s really matured over the winter. You only had to look at him in the paddock, you didn’t have to know anything about horses to know he’s a magnificent specimen.
“Hopefully his best days are still in front of him, he’s a lovely horse.”
As for the future, Varian is keen to go for gold at Ascot.
He said: “We think he’s a Cup horse for the Cup races, not just Ascot but of course we have to think of him as an Ascot Gold Cup candidate. It’s a tough division but a fun one to be involved in, he stays very well.
“We don’t know about two and a half miles, but I love stayers. He’s a classy horse.
“I think he’s ground versatile. He ran very well in the (Queen’s) Vase last year when he did everything wrong, even before we got a saddle on, and he still nearly won. I just hope he’s maturing.
“He was due to run at Chester last week, maybe it’s a blessing we didn’t but we weren’t sure about the ground after something had slipped and then they had an inspection. It just didn’t feel right and he’s an important horse for us, it might have been different if we didn’t have this as Plan B.
“It’s a big winner for Ray, he’s a good rider, rode some big winners last year and will step forward on that this year I’m sure.”
Dawson said: “He’s a beautiful animal, he’s been very well trained and Tony Proctor (former jockey) rides him out. I’m the lucky man on board today.
“Connections have been good to me, this is my first year riding as first jockey to Roger and we put a lot of hope in this lad for the season.
“I was always confident, I knew turning in I was going to win, I just didn’t want to get there too early.”
James Doyle said of Al Nayyir: “You could set your clock by him, he’s a dude isn’t he. He had a good campaign in the Middle East and he’s come back as good as ever. He’s run some big races here, just touched off two years ago in the Lonsdale Cup. He’s a lucky horse for the owners to have.”
David O’Meara said of the third home, Epic Poet: “We’re delighted, another great run by him. He was second last year and third this year, the race looked to go really well for him, late on they all drifted over to the rail and he’s not always the bravest but I’ve no complaints.
“He’s probably back to his best really. The Grand Cup back here would be a good option for him.”
Lilt looks exciting with impressive York victory
Lilt could have booked her ticket to Royal Ascot when storming home to claim the Sky Bet Fillies’ Stakes at York.
William Haggas’ daughter of Lope De Vega looked a nice prospect when winning her only start at two and was sent off at 13-2 for what on paper looked a red-hot Listed race more commonly known as the Michael Seely Memorial.
It appeared the front-running So Regal was going to remain unbeaten for the year when Danny Tudhope’s mount strode clear, but Tom Marquand was working his way through the gears aboard his inexperienced mount, showcasing a blistering turn of foot to run down her rival and score by a going-away length and a half.
Lilt was made an 8-1 shot for the Coronation Stakes at the Royal meeting, with the clearly talented filly also entered for the Curragh’s Pretty Polly and Irish Oaks later in the summer.
Assistant trainer Maureen Haggas, said: “She was green and she’ll have learned a lot today.
“When he wanted to get going she was very ‘climby’ which I thought might have been down to the ground, but she just didn’t really know what to do. When she got going she really got going well.
“You’d think there’d be scope for 10 furlongs, but I don’t think we need to be in a hurry for that just yet.
“She’s in the Coronation, but that is up to James (Wigan, owner) and William. She’s been very good today, but it was just her second run. You can ask them to do too much too soon and it’s a long old year.
“Her dam was a good four-year-old and James is a good one for keeping them in training so I think we can look further down the line with her.”
Haggas himself was at Newbury where he told Sky Sports Racing: “I was really pleased with her and I’m really thrilled for James, he puts such a lot in.
“She looked pretty good, I thought she stayed on really well. I’ve put her in the Coronation, so I suspect we’ve got nothing to lose by having a go at that. But James is eminently more sensible than me, so we’ll talk about it.”
John Gosden said of So Regal: “That was a really good run, she did get a bit lonely in front, but it’s a big, open track. She ran a super race and I couldn’t be more pleased with her.
“She did everything but got a bit lonely, there’s a headwind and a three-year-old filly on her own – she was just looking about a bit at the end and leading into a headwind is never easy.”
Roger Varian was pleased with the run of Botagoz in third: “We came here to learn a bit more about her because my gut feeling was that she is a middle-distance filly, but she hadn’t done anything wrong over seven furlongs winning her only start last year and then winning over a mile at Nottingham.
“Her final furlong was her best furlong and she hit the line strong. We are all reasonably happy with the run and it will be 10 furlongs next time. At Goodwood on Derby weekend, there is a Listed race for fillies over 10 furlongs and she’ll go there.
“I’d be surprised if this is not very strong three-year-old form.”
Love A Giggle strikes for Burke in Marygate
Karl Burke won the Design Tonic Out Of This World Spaces At The Races EBF Marygate Fillies’ Stakes for the third time in four years, as Love A Giggle edged out Armor Supreme at York.
A winner at Southwell on debut, the daughter of Kodiac bided her time in the hands of Clifford Lee, with 3-1 favourite Princesse d’Orange making a bold bid from the front.
Diego Dias’ Armor Supreme was in the leader’s slipstream and made her challenge up the far side, but almost matching strides was Love A Giggle (9-1) who showed a tremendous attitude and equally proficient turn of foot to secure a head victory over the Irish raider.
Burke said: “She’s exciting, she’s small but she’s tough. She’s obviously stepped forward from Southwell.
Love A Giggle ridden by Clifford Lee on their way to winning the Marygate Fillies’ Stakes at York
“I said to Clifford there’ll be a lot of speed on here and at Southwell she looked a little bit outpaced and then came home really strong. So I thought there’s no point getting involved early here even if she had improved for that run, so he’s pulled it off to perfection.
“Why wouldn’t we go there (to the Queen Mary)? Obviously that’s going to be a tougher race yet again, but she deserves to take her chance.”
Dias was second with his second juvenile of the week through Armor Supreme and said: “That was just her second run so we were very pleased.
“I think we’ll take her to Ascot for the Queen Mary, that’s where we’ll go next.
“We have a couple of nice horses this year and we’ve got a couple at home who have not raced yet, they’re just going to take a bit of time and will be out in the middle of the season.
“We’re not afraid to travel, we go where we think suits the horses – and where the good prize-money is!”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
