Racing: Shocks at Haydock
Royal Cavalier stunned Saturday punters again to complete a 48-1 double for apprentice Graham Gibbons at Haydock.
The gelding, who sprang a 50-1 surprise in the November Handicap at Doncaster last autumn, was again largely ignored in the betting for the Tote Ten To Follow Stakes and allowed to start at 16-1.
But he triumped for the bookmakers once again, leading under two furlongs out in the mile-and-a-half contest and going on to score by three-quarters of a length from Twilight Haze.
Royal Cavalier’s price surprised trainer Reg Hollinshead, who said: ‘‘He’d been working well enough and he beat most of these in the November. He’s a toughie and the ground came in his favour here.’’
Everything went perfectly for 3lb claimer Gibbons, 20, who was riding the 77th winner of his career.
‘‘They went a good gallop so I took a lead two out a gap came so I kicked on and he kept on well,’’ he said.
Gibbons had initiated his double on the Bryan McMahon-trained juvenile Redding, who made his third appearance a winning one in the MTB Group Maiden Auction Stakes.
The fast-starting 15-8 favourite made just about all and held on by a neck from On The Brink despite hanging left in the closing stages.
Owner John Fretwell said: ‘‘He has got some toe hasn’t he?
‘‘And he is still a big, weak horse so he looks as though he could be a nice two-year-old. When he was let down he swerved left but that was just through greenness.’’
Mariinsky also showed plenty of speed to take the feature Field Marshal Stakes under a front-running ride from Pat Eddery, holding off Online Investor by three-quarters of a length.
Pattern races now beckon for the winner, who was given just three runs as a juvenile by Brian Meehan.
‘‘He is pretty good and we always thought he was,’’ his trainer said. ‘‘He showed a lot last year but we weren’t hard on him as he is a late-May foal.
‘‘We have put him in a few of the better sprints this year and we will play it by ear. But we won’t go to town on him as it is very hard for three-year-olds. The King’s Stand would be a good target for him and he would love the ground so he will be a summer horse. I am very pleased.
‘‘I never thought last year he would get further than five furlongs but after looking at him there I would say he probably would get six. I wouldn’t be frightened of it and Pat said he would be better off with a lead, he had to do most of his own donkey work.’’
Victory made Eddery the first jockey to reach double figures for the turf Flat season, took his prize-money earnings to close on £100,000, and gave him a third Listed success of the year after similar wins on Dandoun and Kootenay.
