Racing Ahead – August 2019

20

Stakes at Newmarket on June 29,
drawing clear inside the last furlong to
be by six lengths from URSULINA. Her
trainer Charlie Appleby said after the
race he will wait for a 7f race for
Summer Romance who has the poten-
tial to make an impact in Group
company next time.
STRIVE FOR GLORY, another to be
fourth at Royal Ascot, in the Norfolk
Stakes, also benefitted from dropping
to Listed company when he won the
Tipperary Stakes over 5f on July 4,
beating AIR FORCE JET by three quar-
ters of a length and provided Robert
Cowell with his biggest two-year-old
success since the 2016 Norfolk Stakes.

FESTIVALS IN THE NEXT
MONTH
Two of the year’s biggest Flat meet-
ings take place in the next few weeks,
the Qatar Goodwood Festival and
Yorkshire Ebor Festival at York. There is
something for everyone at both meet-
ings, plenty of Group races,
competitive handicaps and a number
of two-year-old races, with some of the
best prize money on offer.
Aidan O’Brien and Mark Johnston
have each trained three two-year-old
Group winners at the Qatar Goodwood
Festival in the last 10 years, while
favourites in the Group races have an
excellent record, of the 30 races, 15
were won by the favourite.
O’Brien & Johnston aren’t as suc-
cessful at the Yorkshire Ebor Festival,
with a win apiece in the Group and
Listed races, O’Brien from 18 runners
and Johnston from 21 runners (five sec-
onds). William Haggas with six winners
from 17 runners (two each in the
Acomb, Lowther and Gimcrack) and
Kevin Ryan with five from 22 runners
(three in the Gimcrack, one in the
Acomb and Roses) have the best
records. Charlie Hills with two wins in
the Acomb and one in the Gimcrack is
next on the most successful trainer list.
Favourites at this meeting aren’t as
successful as at Goodwood with the
favourite or joint favourite winning nine
of the 40 races.

MAIDEN/NOVICE RACES
Richard Hannon’s father dominated
the Qatar Goodwood Festival and
whilst his son has only had two Group

wins at the meeting since he took over

the licence in 2014, he looks to have a

good chance of adding to that with

MAN OF THE NIGHT who won impres-

sively on his debut at Newbury on July

4. A strong good-looking colt by first
   season stallion Night Of Thunder, he
   was sent off the 4/6 favourite (only
   two horses from over 800 newcomers
   from the Hannon yard have gone off a
   shorter price). Racing in midfield he
   made progress with a couple of fur-
   longs to go, taking the lead a furlong
   from the finish and only had to be
   pushed out to beat ETHIC (looked in
   need of the run) from the William
   Haggas yard by a length and a quarter
   with DARK SILVER running well to be
   third. The time was nothing special,
   only 0.01 faster than the 6f novice fillies
   race SO SHARP had recorded when
   she made a winning debut for Archie
   Watson 35 minutes earlier beating
   DARK LADY and VIVIDLY who will
   both improve enough to figure next
   time.
   Both of Hannon’s Goodwood win-
   ners came in the Richmond Stakes and
   Man Of The Night will have strong
   claims of adding a third.
   Mark Johnston will have a good race
   in mind for THUNDEROUS following
   his impressive two and a quarter length
   debut success at Doncaster on June


5. Making most of the running, he
   stayed on strongly to be previous
   winner DANCINGINTHEWOODS and
   looks a useful prospect.
   Whilst Johnston sends out plenty of
   debut winners, Ed Vaughan has only
   sent out eight from 72 runners (six
   since 2017) and he could have a useful
   prospect on his hands given the way
   ULTRA VIOLET ran away from her
   seven rivals at Newmarket also on June

28, winning by 10l. The time wasn’t

anything special and the third horse

AIRBRUSH has been beaten since, but

she impressed with how easily she

drew clear inside the last 150 yards.

Clive Cox trained Place In My Heart

to win a Listed race in 2013 and has

trained all three of her progeny, all fil-

lies, the latest of which to make the

racecourse, HAND ON MY HEART beat

four more experienced rivals at Wind-

sor on June 29 in a fillies conditions

race. A strong filly, she had good pace

to race prominently, leading at halfway

and running on well to beat SEPARATE

who finished strongly, by half a length.

She looks all speed and should be able

to hold her own in Listed company.

After a relatively slow start with his

juveniles, John Gosden’s team seem to

be gathering pace and had his first

debut winner of the year at Kempton

on July 3, when CRESSIDA beat her

stablemate WASAAYEF by a neck, the

pair five lengths clear of the third.

Wasaayef has more scope than Cressi-

da and wasn’t knocked about by Dane

O’Neill, she should have no trouble

going one better next time.

RIOT couldn’t add to the Gosden

tally at Sandown two days later, beaten

favourite for the second successive

race, in a 7f novice won by Saeed bin

Suroor’s newcomer LASER SHOW who

got up close home.

Hugo Palmer had a quiet year in 2018

with 18 two-year-old winners, his

lowest since 2014 and while there have

only been two winners for the yard so

far in 2019, the latest of them, HOT

TOUCH at Kempton on July 10, showed

a good attitude inside the last couple

of furlong to beat BREATH OF JOY

from the Amy Murphy yard by a length

and a quarter. CLEGANE who finished

sixth, was just about the pick of the

paddock, a strong filly by Iffraaj, she

kept on well inside the last furlong and

was only beaten four and a quarter

lengths. Given her yard, Ed Walker,

takes their time with two-year-olds

(15% second time out compared to 5%

first time) this was a very encouraging

debut.

The first nursery, handicap for two-

year-olds, took place at Chelmsford on

July 6, BETTYS HOPE getting the

better of odds-on favourite OH

PURPLE REIGN by a neck.

TALKING TWO-YEAR-OLDS

RACING AHEADISSUE 178

Wren

RA