Gold bid on Chapman agenda
David Chapman is eyeing a tilt at the Ayr Gold Cup with his tough and consistent Quito after the gelding obliged at Newcastle on Saturday.
Quito put up an impressive performance to provide Tony Culhane with the middle leg of a splendid 308-1 treble in the Pimms Beeswing Rated Stakes.
“I wasn’t going to back him, I thought the prize-money would be enough, but he was 14-1 and, as I was sure he would be in the first three, I thought that was a good price,” Chapman said.
Quito is in the William Hill Mile at Goodwood next Friday, and Stillington-based Chapman added: “It is an easy mile there, the penalty will help him get in – and if he does he will run.
“The long-term target is the Ayr Gold Cup, though the ground would need to be soft.”
Culhane has always been grateful for the support Chapman has given him over the years and indeed for that which Mick Channon has too, and he teamed up with the latter to take the Belway Homes Classified Stakes on Fabulous Jet.
The race was run in torrential rain, but it did not seem to bother Fabulous Jet who collared Tawny Way in the last 30 yards to win by a neck.
Culhane, who was cautioned for using his whip with excessive frequency, said: “The worst thing I find about riding in rain like that is that it makes if difficult to judge the pace, you are not sure whether the others are going too fast or you are going too slow.”
Culhane completed the hat-trick when Frank Sonata gave Newmarket trainer Mick Quinlan his first winner on the course when storming home by nine lengths in the Car Show 9th and 10th August Maiden Auction Stakes.
Ronnie Barr gained his biggest success when Strensall won the Freephone Stanley Handicap under Robbie Fitzpatrick, a last minute deputy for Fergal Lynch, who failed to arrive in time from Redcar.
Barr said: “I can’t believe it, but Strensall deserved this and I will give him a break now – Fergal must have been stuck in traffic and it was late when I found out he wasn’t here, so I was lucky Robbie was around.”
One jockey felt that one of the stalls may have opened prematurely, but the stewards had a close look at the start and came to the conclusion that there had not been any problem.
Tim Easterby, whose Bollin Eric finished fourth in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot, had started off the day in good style when Ground Zero won the Pimms Classic Handicap under apprentice David Allan.
Easterby’s father, Peter, said: “It must be decent ground as he is no good on soft. You have to be spot-on with him, he has to be held up but he did it well.
“It took a long time for us to find out what his trip was, but if they are any good they still go on and do well.”
Annie Elsey’s opportunism paid a winning dividend when she teamed up with Linda Perratt’s Ryefield to take the Bliss Lady Amateur Riders Handicap in good style.
Miss Perratt said afterwards: “Our amateur Lindsey Gallagher was going to ride Ryefield, but she would not have been able to do the weight and Annie rang up yesterday asking for the ride.
“Annie has been very lucky for us really and has ridden a few winners for us too – Ryefield has been seeing too much daylight in his races, but Annie hung on to him, and he has gone and done it well.”
