Run romps home for new team
David Loder and his new jockey Johnny Murtagh gained a first turf success with a horse who could have a big future when Bull Run turned the Sweet & Maxwell Archbold Maiden Stakes into a procession at Windsor today.
Murtagh made his way to the favoured far rail after turning into the straight hotly pursued by Larkwing but Bull Run (9-4) quickly asserted to score by nine lengths in the rain softened ground with Springtime Romance a further seven back.
Loder is keen to run the son of Daylami again this month in the knowledge that he likes some cut in the ground.
Said the trainer: “Last year we couldn’t go forward with him as we would have wished because he wasn’t ready and so we had to keep backing off. He was just very weak and immature both mentally and physically.
“Thankfully he’s grown up over the winter and had been working nicely enough. It would be wrong to get carried away as things can be exaggerated in this ground but I imagine he’ll run in the next two to three weeks and he may go for a conditions race.”
Richard Hannon is getting his act together at an early stage with his juveniles and in Cornus, who defied a market drift before landing the French Brothers Median Auction Maiden Stakes, he has a colt who could develop into a Royal Ascot prospect.
After Richard Hughes had brought the son of Inchinor home two and a half lengths to the good over Loder’s runner Goodricke, Hannon said: “Touch wood he’s a very sound horse and I think he’ll be able to cope with any ground.
“I trained a good two-year-old (Blue Goddess) for his owner David Mort and I hope he’s half as good as the filly who won a sales race in ireland and was retired with a fractured joint unbeaten.”
Fortunes swung like a pendulum in the HBLB Charlton Athletic FC Handicap in which Classic Role took six lengths out of the field with a telling burst two furlongs out only to be nailed in the final one hundred yards and beaten a length by Cruise Director under Michael Fenton.
Trainer Willie Musson explained that Cruise Director (12-1) likes to get his toe in and said: “He showed when he won here last season that he want this sort of ground but because he was disappointing on his latest start we couldn’t be confident about today.”
Tactics played a big part in the outcome of the Welcome To Royal Windsor 2004 Handicap when Frankie Dettori made a decisive beeline for the far rail on 7-1 chance Muy Bien.
The combination enjoyed a similar lead to Classic Role but managed to hold on by a length.
His trainer John Jenkins said: “This horse always tends to go a bit left and likes to have a rail on his left and so it made sense to tack over. That was the first time Frankie had ridden him.”
The Colliers CRE Licence & Leisure Classified Stakes produced an upset when 33-1 chance Jools wore down the well backed Soyuz under Richard Quinn to score by a neck.
This is a lucky course for winning trainer Dean Ivory, who said: “This horse is full of surprises and keeps on improving and after this I’m beginning to wonder whether he isn’t just as good on the soft.”
The Come Racing At Royal Windsor Selling Stakes provided a first winner for owner John Jackman when Amnesty (4-1) gained the day after looking for much of the contest unlikely to peg back Fen Gypsy.
Ryan Moore lost six lengths leaving the stalls on the five-year-old but didn’t panic and after weaving his way through tired horses he cajoled Amnesty to get up in the last half a furlong to score by a length.
Afterwards Jackman, who owns the winner in partnership with his brother Graham, said of the Gary Moore-trained gelding: “After we bought him last October he proved very disappointing on the all-weather.
“On one occasions he didn’t want to race and on another he hung around at the back as if he didn’t want to anticipate. We were going to sell him but I insisted we gave him one more try on the pass and it’s been rewarded.”
