Frankie Dettori’s long-time friend and former agent Ray Cochrane rates Golden Horn’s 2015 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victory as one of the Italian’s finest moments in the saddle.
Dettori will bring the curtain down on his European career at Ascot on Saturday, with the rider having last week officially abandoned his plan to retire from the saddle in favour of a move to America in the new year following a series high-profile international engagements before the end of 2023.
While Champions Day does not put a full stop on his riding career, Dettori’s final afternoon at Ascot promises to be an emotional affair with many of the jockey’s career highlights having taken place at the Berkshire venue.
He memorably went through the seven-race card at the track in September 1996, while his Royal Ascot victories are too numerous to mention, with Courage Mon Ami’s Gold Cup triumph back in June raising the roof.
However, Cochrane, who was Dettori’s agent for 20 years, felt the rider’s renewed association with trainer John Gosden in 2015 provided the most sparkling of moments as he really kicked off what was to be a glorious autumn of his career.
Cochrane told Betdaq: “We had an unbelievable time, with the big winners he rode, but the one that sticks out is Golden Horn.
“He rang me when I was skiing in Switzerland and said, ‘William Buick has gone to Godolphin’. Immediately I said, ‘Have you rung John Gosden?’, and he said, ‘No’, but I could hear him laughing and then he said, ‘I didn’t need to ring him, he rang me’. I remember saying, ‘Get in there!’. At the time, when Frankie had no job, this was like someone putting a big arm around him.
“He started riding well for John and he rang me one spring morning, and said, ‘Ray, we’ve got one’, but he couldn’t remember his name! I kept asking what his name was and a week later he told me it was a horse called Golden Horn.
“Of course, he went on to win the Derby in his first season back with John, but the race that really sticks out is the Arc de Triomphe.
“He was drawn way out on the outside, which for most riders would be a bad draw. I rang him about it, and he said ‘It’s not too bad – this horse is a big lump and can miss the start, so if he was drawn down on the inside I’ll be shuffled back and my race would be over. At least on the outside, I can slot in wherever I want to. That’s the plan’.
“He told me that he was going to keep wide and go straight up the track for seven furlongs, and when he got to the top of the hill he would shift across and move in behind the pacemaker.
“That’s exactly what he did and it was beautiful to watch. He came into the straight on the bridle, gave him a kick and the rest is history.”
The pair first crossed paths when both were working for trainer Luca Cumani in Newmarket and Cochrane became Dettori’s agent in the aftermath of a tragic plane crash in 2000.
Dettori’s life was saved by Cochrane following an accident in which pilot Patrick Mackey died after their plane caught fire just after take-off on a journey from Newmarket to Goodwood.
Cochrane managed to pull Dettori from the wreckage of the aircraft, receiving the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in 2002 as a result of his actions, but he was forced to retire from racing five months after the incident due to back problems following a series of falls.
He well remembers the day of Dettori’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ though, with Fujiyama Crest’s all-the-way win off top weight in the closing two-mile handicap an experience he is unlikely to forget.
“He’d won the first six races, and by this time he wasn’t walking, he was floating out for his final ride. I followed him out to the paddock and the crowd were all over him,” recalled Cochrane.
“He was drawn on my outside at the two-mile start, and he jumped out and let this horse rip down the outside. We were going flat out down the back at Ascot, we went by the mile-and-a-half start and I heard this roar. There’s a road by the side of the track down the back and I thought it sounded like a tank coming up the side of the road.
“As we were coming out of Swinley Bottom, Frankie was about four lengths clear, and this roar just got louder and I thought, ‘That’s the crowd roaring him on’.
“As we turned into the straight, the noise was unbelievable. It’s the only time in my career that I’ve ever heard the crowd roaring from a mile and a half out. He went on to win of course. It was an unbelievable day and a race I’ll never forget.”
Cochrane also said he has no doubt Dettori will be seen in Britain next year.
“Don’t be thinking that he won’t be back here, he’ll be back at the drop of a hat to ride in all the big races, because that’s what he does. Don’t be expecting this is the last year we’ll see him – I’m sure we can’t get rid of him that quick!
“I’d imagine he’ll be here for the Guineas, the Oaks, the Derby, Royal Ascot, the King George and every other big race he can get a good ride in. I would imagine that John Gosden will call on him regularly, as more than likely will Ralph Beckett if they need a top-class jockey. I imagine he’ll be the first port of call.”
Rogue Millennium will return to the scene of her finest hour on Saturday when she makes her final outing for Tom Clover and owners The Rogues Gallery in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
The four-year-old has been a star performer for her trainer and ownership syndicate over the past two seasons having been purchased for the relatively inexpensive fee of 35,000 guineas in the autumn of 2021.
A consistent performer throughout her time in training with Clover, not only did she take connections to the Oaks after securing the handler’s first Listed success in Lingfield’s Oaks Trial, she also notched up a first Group winner for the trainer when prevailing in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier in the year.
That victory paved the way for Rogue Millennium to contest Group One events in her last three outings and with top-level black type secured when second to Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Tahiyra in the Matron Stakes, connections head to British Champions Day for a shot to nothing at the QEII before Rogue Millennium likely heads to the sales ring in December.
“She will most likely head to the Sceptre sale (held during the Tattersalls December Mares Sale) and it will very likely be her last run for ourselves and The Rogues Gallery,” said Clover.
“She was our first Listed winner, our first Group winner and our first Royal Ascot winner and she has a lot of black type now and has run some fantastic races across Europe. She has just taken us on some memorable journeys.
“For the Rogues and all the different members, it has just been a terrific journey and it has been fantastic to give syndicate owners such big days and go and compete in all these big races against the top connections.
“Win, lose or draw, she has been terrific servant for us but it would be lovely if she could shape up well. It would be a shame to bow out after a disappointing run at Longchamp last time.”
That below-par performance in Paris came when racing over 10 furlongs in the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day.
However, she now returns to the course and distance over which she thrived when successful at the Royal meeting, with the Kremlin House handler taking plenty of encouragement from her effort against Tahiyra at Leopardstown in September.
Clover added: “She has worked very well at home, but it can be very hard to tell if fillies are over the top or not at this time of year. In terms of her home work, she seems really well and she looks well.
“We sort of felt she is a course-and-distance winner and she handled very soft ground at Longchamp (earlier in the season) and I think if having an extra 100 yards or a furlong, you could argue she was closing down Tahiyra in the Matron.
“If she could reproduce that run it would put her in with a shout of being near, which would be incredible for her owners.”
Excitement is building among connections ahead of Sense Of Duty’s crack at the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Trained by William Haggas, the daughter of Showcasing racked up four victories on the spin before a setback kept her out of action for over 450 days.
Having looked a sprinter to follow prior to her absence, there was plenty of anticipation ahead of her belated return at Newbury last month.
Although only third when racing over a somewhat inadequate five furlongs on that occasion, the Sense Of Duty team were pleased to get a tune-up into the four-year-old ahead of her Champions Day target where opposition includes defending champion Kinross and Julie Camacho’s dual Group One scorer Shaquille.
“It’s a massive day on Saturday and we’re all very excited,” said Richard Brown, racing manager for owner St Albans Bloodstock.
“Andrew (Stone of St Albans) has most of his family and extended family going and we’re hugely looking forward to it.
“I thought she ran very well at Newbury over the minimum distance which would not have been to her liking, but William was very keen to get a run into her with this being the big aim.
“It looks like it is going to be very soft ground which I don’t think will stop her, I think she will like it and we’re excited but we’re also realistic. It will be a big ask.”
Mostahdaf, Paddington and Kinross are among the big names declared for what promises to be an enthralling afternoon for Qipco Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained Mostahdaf leads nine contenders for the Qipco Champion Stakes, in which the five-year-old will be bidding for a third consecutive Group One win having landed the Prince of Wales’s Stakes over the 10-furlong course and distance back in June before adding the Juddmonte International at York to his tally.
However, connections have expressed concerns about the likelihood of testing ground in Berkshire and he could yet bypass the race.
The Champion Stakes field also features last year’s winner winner Bay Bridge and third-placed My Prospero while French raider Horizon Dore is the favourite after winning each of his last four starts.
Frankie Dettori teams up with King Of Steel on what is set to be his final afternoon of European action before embarking on international engagements and an eventual move to America.
He now rides 2000 Guineas victor Chaldean for Andrew Balding in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes after Inspiral was taken out, in what promises to be another intriguing one-mile clash.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Paddington beat him nearly four lengths in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and he seeks a fifth Group One win after his unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of Mostahdaf at York.
Tahiyra adds further spice, with Dermot Weld’s filly having won the Irish 1,000 Guineas, Coronation and Matron Stakes on her last three starts.
Nashwa runs over a mile instead of tackling the Champion Stakes, with Big Rock and Facteur Cheval both leading contenders for the French.
The Dettori-ridden Kinross faces 14 in defence of his British Champions Sprint title, although Commonwealth and July Cup hero Shaquille is a notable absentee in the six-furlong contest.
The Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes has 14 contenders, with Free Wind another likely favourite for Dettori, who also rides Trawlerman in the opening Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup.
The two-mile affair is the only Group Two on the card but it has drawn a quality line-up with Trueshan bidding for a fourth win in the race for Alan King, although he will have to contend with last year’s Gold Cup winner Kyprios and Lonsdale Cup scorer Coltrane in a field of eight.
Commonwealth Cup and July Cup hero Shaquille was not declared for Saturday’s Qipco British Champions Sprint at Ascot as connections are not completely satisfied with his well being.
Julie Camacho’s three-year-old has been one of the stars of the season, winning his first four starts of the campaign including his top-level victories at Royal Ascot and Newmarket during the summer.
He blotted his copybook in the Sprint Cup at Haydock last month – but following a pleasing racecourse gallop at York last week, hopes were high he could show his true colours on Qipco Champions Day.
However, Shaquille will not be making the trip to Berkshire.
Steve Brown, Camacho’s husband and assistant, said: “He wasn’t just tracking through as normal behind with his movement.
“It looks minimal, but given the ground conditions, which are obviously going to be pretty testing, we’re just not prepared to take any chances with him. It’s as simple as that really.”
With options running out, Brown confirmed Shaquille will “probably not” run again this year, while no final decision has been made on the colt’s longer-term future.
Connections of Inspiral will consider a trip to the Breeders’ Cup for their star filly after deciding against running in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
John and Thady Gosden’s four-year-old was a brilliant winner of the Sun Chariot at Newmarket two weeks ago, her fifth victory at Group One level following previous triumphs in the Fillies’ Mile, the Coronation Stakes and back-to-back wins in the Prix Jacques le Marois.
Owner-breeders Cheveley Park Stud were keen on another tilt at the QEII after failing to fire in the race 12 months ago – but with conditions in Berkshire sure to be testing, Inspiral will sidestep Qipco Champions Day and a decision on both her short and long-term future will be made soon.
“We’ve obviously been monitoring the weather and the rain that’s fallen. I know John Gosden walked the track yesterday (Wednesday), there’s been a subsequent 12 millimetres and it looks like there’s more to come,” said Cheveley Park’s managing director Chris Richardson.
“As we know when she ran on soft ground in the Sussex at Goodwood in the summer, Frankie looked after her as it wasn’t the sort of performance she was enjoying.
“The decision now is whether the Breeders’ Cup (Filly & Mare Turf) is an option. John is going to speak to Mrs Thompson about it and then we’ll know more, but it’s very much up to her to decide whether she wants the filly to go to America.
“They’re liaising between them and there’s decisions to be made on whether she runs again this year and whether she’s kept in training next year.
“She’s a wonderful filly, Mrs Thompson is the owner of the horse and will make the decision.”
Daniel Doram took a career-best 7-29 to lead the Leeward Islands Hurricanes to a resounding eight-wicket victory over the Jamaica Scorpions in their opening encounter of the CG Insurance Super50 Competition at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday.
The lanky left-arm orthodox spinner from St Maarten proved unplayable to the Scorpions, who were bowled out for 123 in 32.5 overs. Only Odean Smith, who scored 26 and Nkrumah Bonner, 24, offered any real resistance. Alzarri Joseph took 2-24 in support.
Led by Kieran Powell’s unbeaten 80, the Leewards made quick work of the target racing to 124-2 in just 14 overs. Karima Gore was not out on 19 at the end. Nicholson Gordon dismissed Kofi James for 12 to finish with figures of 1-28. Kaecy Carty lost his wicket to Fabian Allen who conceded 33 runs from just overs in the lopsided affair.
Nicole Aiken-Pinnock, head coach of Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls concedes that without some the team’s best players, campaigning in next month’s Fast5 World Series Netball Tournament in New Zealand next month will be challenge.
However, she believes the coaching staff will get the available players ready for what are expected to be stern tests against Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Malawi and England in New Zealand.
Jamaica recently named its team for the tournament set for November 11-12 and notably absent were the experienced Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson, key defensive stalwarts for reigning Suncorp Super Netball champions Adelaide Thunderbirds. Also missing is Jhaniele Fowler, arguably the best shooter in the world, who represents the 2022 Super League champions West Coast Fever.
However, the team that will be led by New South Wales Swifts’ star shooter Romelda Aiken-George will include Adean Thomas, Gezelle Allison, Theresa Beckford, stand out U21 player Amanda Pinkney, Kimone Shaw, Crystal Plummer, Abigale Sutherland and former England U21 Rhea Dixon, the Loughborough Lightning attacking player, who recently became eligible to represent Jamaica.
Aiken-Pinnock revealed that the players have been undergoing rigorous training in preparation for the campaign.
"Fast 5 is tough,” she explained. “I have been to so many Fast 5s as a player and it’s really challenging. You’re playing five teams over two days. Even though it is a shortened version of the game, it still requires a lot more thinking. You truly have to understand what is it that you're about. You have to be ready at all times. So there is a lot that is required of you. There's no trying to feel sorry for yourself. So we're trying our best with the resources, with everything that we possibly have with the players.”
Providing some insight into how tough the sessions have been, Aiken-Pinnock drew reference to a shooter Gezelle Allison, who is returning to the national set up since giving birth to her first child mere months ago.
“Saturday morning we had a training session and literally we pushed them. We really, really pushed them a lot,” Aiken Pinnock revealed.
“I remember Gezelle, she was down on her knees and she was like “Coach” because it was really tough. They found this session to be one that was really, really tough for them. And I just had to remind them that this is exactly how you're going to be feeling when you get there. So they we have to bring them through the regime of what will be.”
Turning her attention to the absence of the defensive stars Sterling and Wilson, Aiken-Pinnock explained that after a busy schedule that included the Netball World Cup and the Suncorp Super Netball League, the players requested the time off.
"The senior girls, after the world championship they really needed the time off the rest and recover and we know how well all of them play Down Under and so they're also have to get their recovery in and going back down to their job. So we have to take all of that into consideration,” the coach explained.
"They have requested the time off from the association there's nothing we can do about that. And so for me, I try not to spend too much time thinking about that situation that because we can't fix that. So we just have to ensure that we pay close attention to the ladies who we are going to be working with and trying to get the best out of them so that they can perform and represent Jamaica.”
What this means is that the defensive players in the squad have big shoes to fill but the coach expressed confidence that they will deliver.
"So we definitely don't have any of our experienced defenders who would have gone to World Championship or any of the players who are playing Down Under. In terms of the defensive line up, definitely it's a challenge but we have to have faith in the ladies that we have and so while the time frame for preparation is also very short we are putting in as much work as we can,” she said.
“We have Kimone Shaw, she was at the World Championship in the squad of 15 as a reserve and she too went to the CAC Games. There's Teresa Beckford and Abigail Linton. So we just have to work on the confidence of these ladies and just getting them to be a bit more aware, getting them to be hungrier, getting their netball marks up and ready for what is to come.”
Linton will be playing in her first Fast 5 team but was a member of the Sunshine Girls gold-medal winning team at the CAC Games earlier this year.
Aiken-Pinnock shared her thoughts on what Dixon will bring to the Sunshine Girls line-up. The former England 21 qualifies to represent Jamaica through her grandmother with the move sanctioned by World Netball.
Aiken-Pinnock said she brings significant skills to the set up and has been working hard to achieve the required fitness standards.
"She put her hand up about expressing an interest in representing Jamaica. She has gone through interviews and that sort of thing. We have met with her, we have discussed with her. She's actually in training too at the moment. She has been in training for a little while too,” the former player turned coach revealed.
"It's an opportunity that I'm sure she's grateful for and she and she's very much excited about it. We just have to give her that platform for her to showcase her skills and wanting to represent Jamaica."
Aiken-Pinnock revealed that the Loughborough Lightning player, who is likely to be a starter, has been spent the past few weeks in the United Kingdom preparing for the competition.
“She's been training for a little while, weeks, because one of the things that we have done with her is that there's a test, a fitness test that she basically has to do on a weekly basis, just like our girls. She recorded herself doing the tests. She's in commission mode, not at the elite level in England, but I know that she's representing her university at the moment.
" She did pretty well on the fitness tests. So it's just about maintaining that consistency until she gets here to be with us, which is in a couple of days’ time. She has some experience with regards to high level competition and I'm sure that she's going to bring that same energy and effort to the Jamaica squad.”
Concacaf has confirmed the pairings for the 23/24 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. The four home-and-away series, scheduled for the FIFA Match Window of November 2023, will determine the four teams advancing to the Concacaf Nations League final, scheduled for March 2024, and the first four Concacaf teams that will qualify for next year's CONMEBOL Copa America to be staged in United States.
After the completion of group stage play for League A, which took place in September and October, the two top teams from each group: Panama and Trinidad and Tobago (Group A) and Jamaica and Honduras (Group B), advanced to the quarterfinals, joining the four top-ranked League A nations (based on the Concacaf Rankings of March 2023) that received a bye: Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States.
The four Quarterfinal pairings are as follows:
QF1: Costa Rica (4) vs Panama (best group winner)
QF2: Canada (3) vs Jamaica (next best group winner)
QF3: United States (2) vs Trinidad and Tobago (best runner-up)
QF4: Mexico (1) vs Honduras (next best runner-up)
After the matches played in the September and October FIFA Match Windows, the CNL League A Group Stage standing are as follows:
Group A
1. Panama (10 pts, +7 gd) – advances to Quarterfinals
2. Trinidad and Tobago (9 pts, +1 gd) – advances to Quarterfinals
3. Martinique (7 pts, -1 gd)
4. Guatemala (4 pts, -2 gd)
5. Curacao (3 pts, -1 gd) – relegated to League B
6. El Salvador (1 pts, -4 gd) – relegated to League B
Group B
1. Jamaica (10 pts, +5 gd) – advances to Quarterfinals
2. Honduras (7 pts, +7 gd) – advances to Quarterfinals
3. Suriname (5 pts, +3 gd)
4. Cuba (5 pts, -3 gd)
5. Haiti (3 pts, -1 gd) – relegated to League B
6. Grenada (1 pts, -11 gd) – relegated to League B
The schedule for the quarterfinals is as follows, with the home team for each match listed first. As per the competition regulations, the four pre-seeded federations, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, and United States, had the opportunity to decide whether they would play at home or away first.
Thursday, November 16, 2023
United States vs Trinidad and Tobago
Costa Rica vs Panama
Friday, November 17, 2023
Jamaica vs Canada
Honduras vs Mexico
Monday, November 20, 2023
Trinidad and Tobago vs United States
Panama vs Costa Rica
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Canada vs Jamaica
Mexico vs Honduras
After home-and-away play, the aggregate score winner in each pairing will advance to both the 23/24 Concacaf Nations League final and the CONMEBOL Copa America. The four losing quarterfinalists will still have an opportunity to qualify for next summer’s Copa America via a single-match direct elimination Play-In, where they will play for the two remaining slots for Concacaf nations. This Play-In will also take place in March 2024.
23/24 Concacaf Nations League Finals
The third edition of the Concacaf Nations League final is scheduled to take place in March 2024. The final four, between League A's quarterfinal winners, includes semifinals, to be played on Thursday, March 21, 2024, followed by a third-place match and final on Sunday, March 24.
To determine the semifinal pairings, the four participating nations will be ranked 1-4, according to their performance in the quarterfinals (points, and if required, goal difference), with the highest-ranked team facing the lowest-ranked team (1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3).
More details on the 23/24 Concacaf Nations League Finals and the Concacaf Copa America Play-In will be announced in due course.
Dual Champion Chase hero Energumene is likely to be out for the season, trainer Willie Mullins has revealed.
The nine-year-old, who has won 10 of his 12 appearances over fences, first tasted success at the Cheltenham Festival in 2022 and defended his Champion Chase title in imperious style earlier this year, registering a 10-length victory in the two-mile chasing feature.
He followed that up by also winning Punchestown’s version of the Champion Chase for the second year running and was widely expected to dominate the two-mile division once again over the winter.
However, Energumene – who is owned by Brighton and Hove Albion supremo Tony Bloom – is set for a spell on the sidelines having suffered an injury setback and is unlikely to get the chance to make it a hat-trick of Cheltenham Festival victories in the spring.
“Unfortunately Energumene has a hind leg injury and he will probably be out of action for the season,” Mullins told the Sporting Life.
Energumene’s absence opens up a vacancy at the top of the two-mile chasing division with Closutton stablemate and Arkle hero El Fabiolo installed as Paddy Power’s new even-money favourite for the Champion Chase next March.
Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon, second to El Fabiolo at Prestbury Park in the Arkle earlier in the year before winning at both Aintree and Sandown’s Celebration Chase, is next best at 5-1.
Ascot clerk of the course Chris Stickels feels it is “pretty likely” the races scheduled to be run on the round course at Ascot on Champions Day will take place on the inner track.
With Storm Babet set to batter the country in the coming days, the going is expected to turn testing.
Contingency plans are in place that allow officials to move the Long Distance Cup, Filly & Mares Stakes and the Champion Stakes to the inner hurdles track when situations like this arise, with switch last made in 2019.
“I walked it this afternoon with John Gosden at about 3pm when it had only just started raining and the current description is good to soft on the straight track and soft in places on the round course. We are describing the inner track as good, good to firm in places,” Stickels told Racing TV.
“If we have heavy ground on any part of the round course, we can move the round course races to the inner track and we have to decide that before 8am on Saturday.
“Looking at the forecast for Friday, I would say that is quite likely (for the races to move). I think the rain we will get overnight will turn us back to soft on the round course and maybe even if we get the top end, some heavy places on the round course.
“Thursday we might only get three to four millimetres, it is mainly a windy day but the forecast for Friday is a similar amount of rain as that we are due tonight again, so if we are not heavy in places by then, it would be highly likely to be by Friday.
“I think it would be pretty likely that we will end up on that inner track. If we can make a decision on that before 8am on Saturday that would be favourable, we’d like to make it Friday but we don’t want to be hasty and suggest that now before we have much rain.
“There is no ability to run the two races scheduled to be run over a mile and the sprint on the round course. There are no start positions and it isn’t wide enough to accommodate the scheduled 20 runners.
“It’s a shame we are a week later in the calendar this year and even today, John Gosden said if we were racing today the ground would have been perfect.”
Valvano followed in some illustrious hoofprints as he made an impressive start to his career in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes at Nottingham.
The top-class King Of Steel made a successful debut in a division of the the extended one-mile contest 12 months ago, while his St Leger-winning stablemate Eldar Eldarov was in the winner’s circle in 2021.
And while Valvano has a long way to go to scale those heights, the son of Night Of Thunder looks certain to go on to better things judged on this facile success in the hands of Hector Crouch.
Plenty was expected of the Ralph Beckett-trained youngster as an 8-11 favourite, but those who took the cramped odds will have had few concerns as after moving to the lead entering the final furlong, Valvano fairly sprinted clear in the testing conditions to pull six lengths clear of his toiling rivals.
Beckett, who won a division of the race with subsequent Derby participant Artistic Star last year, said of his latest victor: “He’s a nice horse who loved the ground and it was a good effort.”
On whether he could run again this season, the trainer added: “We’ll see what happens next, he could.”
Crouch was clearly impressed by the performance, telling Racing TV: “He’s very raw. He made it look straightforward because he’s got a lot of natural ability, but he took a bit of managing and organising and he’s keen to get on with things.
“He ran a little bit green, but once we straightened up he’s very talented. Amongst all the greenness he’s very responsive and he’s keen to learn.
“I think he’s got a bit of a fiery streak in him and is not short of speed, so I wouldn’t be in a rush to step him up to a mile and a quarter in his immediate future, but I’m sure he will stay that far.”
Beckett completed a quickfire double with another newcomer in the following EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes, with Treasure carrying the King and Queen’s colours to a clear-cut win under Ben Curtis.
“She was immaculately behaved and has a great mind. She was a little bit behind the bridle, it’s tough going out there, but she learnt as we went around,” said the jockey.
“She loved the ground and the further she went, the better she went.”
George Boughey’s Mr Alan (3-1 joint-favourite) landed the Watch Irish Racing On Racing TV Handicap for the second year in succession, pipping Belhaven by a nose under William Buick.
Hollie Doyle enjoyed a double on the card, booting home William Stone’s Tipsy Tiger (15-2) in the Join Racing TV Now Nursery and the Jack Channon-trained Desperate Hero in the Watch On Racing TV Handicap.
Hollie Doyle’s appeal against a seven-day suspension will be heard by a British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel next week and is set to determine if she can ride at the Breeders’ Cup.
Doyle incurred the ban aboard the Jonathan Portman-trained Rose Light in the Unibet More Boosts In More Races Fillies’ Handicap at Kempton on Monday evening, with the rider found to have cut across a number of rivals in the early stages of the 11-furlong contest.
The stewards report on the night read: “Doyle was suspended for seven days for careless riding as she allowed her mount to shift right-handed when insufficiently clear of Flying Circus on her inside, causing (Neil) Callan to take a significant check to avoid clipping heels which resulted in Sindri, Page Three and Typical Woman to all be tightened for room and lose their respective racing positions on the inside.”
Doyle’s ban is currently due to run from October 30 to November 4, plus November 6 as there is no Flat racing in Britain on November 5.
If she is successful in having the punishment reduced to five days or less, she would then be free to ride Bradsell in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita on November 4.
Connections of Bay Bridge are unconcerned about conditions at Ascot ahead of the defence of his Qipco Champion Stakes crown on Saturday.
Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the five-year-old produced a career best to end the unbeaten run of Baaeed in the Group One feature last season and returns to British Champions Day looking for a repeat of that half-length victory which came in the hands of Richard Kingscote.
That success came on ground described as good to soft, but having also finished second at Royal Ascot on good to firm ground last year, Bay Bridge appears to have few going concerns ahead of a race which may be switched to the Berkshire venue’s inner track if forecast rain turns conditions heavy on the round course.
“If he can go back and defend his crown, that would be wonderful,” said John O’Connor of Ballylinch Stud, who own the horse in partnership with James Wigan.
“At the moment the intention is to run as far as I know, but all of those final decisions will come down to Sir Michael Stoute. All I know is he was happy with him when I last spoke to him and the intention is to go to Ascot on Saturday.
“He has good form on varying ground at Ascot. He’s run well there on summer ground as well and he was maybe a little bit unlucky when touched off in the Prince of Wales’s last year.
“I don’t know myself which track they will race on, but we will just turn up on whatever track we’re told to turn up on I guess.”
A proven performer at the highest level, Bay Bridge has been a regular in some of the hottest 10-furlong contests but made a brief foray up to a mile and a half for a crack at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
The son of New Bay finished a creditable sixth behind Ace Impact in Europe’s richest middle-distance contest, with an urge to hold an early position taking its toll in the closing stages of that contest.
However, he is reported to have returned from the French capital in fine shape and now returns to his optimum distance for this Champions Day appearance.
“He appears to have come out of the Arc well and he ran very well there. For the moment we’re heading directly to Ascot, hopefully still in good form,” added O’Connor.
“In terms of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, he probably did a little too much too early. You obviously need to hold your position in a race with that many runners, but he probably did a little bit too much and it probably cost him a little bit in the straight. Nonetheless he ran a really good race.”
On returning to 10 furlongs, O’Connor said: “It looks like that (is his best distance) and his highest ratings are at that trip, so hopefully dropping him back will be beneficial to him.”
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