Hi all,
Inside today’s main piece you can read my recap of Saturday’s action.
When you read this, I’ll be on my way to the Isle of Man. Before I set off, I managed to put together a quick piece focusing on Saturday’s racing at Ayr and Newbury.
Spencer’s Ayr Raid
The Ayr Gold Cup is arguably the hardest betting puzzle of the season. Sprint handicaps don’t come any tougher than Scotland’s most famous flat race, or indeed its consolation, the Silver Cup.
That’s what makes trainer Richard Spencer and owner Phil Cunningham’s feat in landing both races so praiseworthy. The pair had already combined to win the Goodwood Stewards’ Cup with Two Tribes. On Saturday it was Candy in the Silver Cup, followed by Run Boy Run in the Gold.
Candy relished the return to genuinely soft ground. Well backed, he was quickly away, travelled strongly in front, and wasn’t for catching. The winner is a horse with a good cruising speed who can sustain it on soft ground. Connections will surely be working back from next year’s Ayr Gold Cup, hoping for similar ground.
Low Draw Proves Crucial
As it turned out, you needed to be drawn low in the Gold Cup. Run Boy Run, from stall 6, just edged out the well-backed Desert Falcon from stall 5 in a thrilling finish. Always front rank, the winner had shown a return to form when fourth in last week’s Portland Handicap, while Desert Falcon, a Doncaster winner on Sunday, was always prominent far side. Nothing got into it from behind. Inside the final furlong Desert Falcon looked the likely winner but Run Boy Run found more close home to win by a neck.
Jubilee Walk, to his credit, ran well down the middle from stall 14. Given he raced alone, it was a cracking effort in third. If he’d been able to race with the pair in front, who knows, he might have won.
Northern Ticker fared best of the high-drawn horses from stall 19, finishing sixth. Like the third, it would have been interesting to see how close he might have finished if drawn far side. He remains one to keep onside and could stay 7f.
Almeric Sparkles
If there was a star on show at Ayr on Saturday it was Almeric in the Listed Doonside Cup. Back from a break but on his favoured easy surface, Almeric was awkward away, yet with the strong pace that wasn’t a negative. The further they went the better he looked, and between the last two furlongs he produced a potent turn of foot for a dominant success. You can watch his win here.
Almeric holds a Champion Stakes entry and will be worth his place if he gets his ground. A mile and a half should be within range, and the 3yo looks an exciting middle-distance prospect. Whatever your views on winning jockey Osin Murphy there's no denying he's at the very top of his game. In the last 14 day's he's had 21 winners from 59 rides 36%. That's a jockey in red hot form.
Richard Fahey hasn’t had the best of seasons with juveniles, so he’ll be delighted with Catching The Moon’s win in the Group 3 Firth of Clyde Stakes. The daughter of No Nay Never tracked the leaders and picked up nicely to take Scotland’s only Group race. It was a decisive neck success by a straightforward filly who, from her action, tolerated rather than relished the soft ground. There should be more to come when she returns to a sounder surface. With her dam having won over 1m4f, she should stay further than 6f. This was Fahey’s third win in the race since 2020.
Newbury: Mill Reef drama as Words Of Truth pounces
The Ayr Gold Cup was Saturday’s most valuable race, but the class contest was the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury. Into the Sky had produced one of the season’s most striking juvenile debuts here last month when a shock 80/1 winner. His time backed up the visual impression, and he looked the one to beat.
A furlong out it seemed Into the Sky was about to deliver a fairytale win for trainer Jim Boyle. However, he hung badly left two furlongs out, which allowed the more straightforward Words Of Truth to pounce for Charlie Appleby. Into the Sky has plenty of ability, but his hanging suggests quirks that need ironing out.
Earlier on the card, First Instinct stayed on strongly to land the Group 3 World Trophy Stakes. Shagraan looked set for the win when forging clear two out, but he was cut down late by the winner, who appreciated ease in the ground at 5f. The winner’s stablemate Montassib couldn’t go the early gallop dropping back to 5f for the first time, but he ran on well to grab third. It was an encouraging seasonal return, and this should tee him up for next month’s Champion Sprint at Ascot.
I’ll be back in the hot seat on Friday for day two of Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire Meeting. Until then, have a great week.
John
Enjoy Isle of Man.