Eswarah leaps into Oaks picture
Eswarah leapt to the head of the Vodafone Oaks market after easily accounting for five rivals in the 10-furlong Swettenham Stud Fillies’ Trial Stakes at Newbury today.
Ladbrokes were impressed and made the daughter of 1986 Oaks winner Midway Lady their 5-2 joint favourite – along with 1000 Guineas heroine Virginia Waters - after the Michael Jarvis-trained filly quickened up nicely to beat Favourita by a comfortable two lengths.
Jarvis said of the 1-2 winner: “She did it comfortably and this was another learning curve. She has a real good burst of speed and though she has been accused of having temperament problems in the past, she is really coming round.
“She is a light-framed filly and the ground was very quick out there. You never know how she will handle Epsom until you try.”
Winning jockey Richard Hills believes the Unfuwain filly has a major chance of success in the Classic.
“She’ll stay, no bother,” he said. “She has a nice turn of foot, and though you never know how they will handle Epsom, she is well balanced.
“She has been accused of being difficult, but she’s been fine. I rode out on her last week and she was as good as gold. She was a bit jig-joggy beforehand, but that’s not a sign of temperament.
“I tried to educate her today, settling her in the early part of the race, and she did it really nicely. I have ridden all her relations except her mother and she’d be the best of them.”
Eswarah is as short as 9-4 with William Hill from 5-1, but Coral offer 7-2 from 11-2.
Nota Bene broke the track record for six furlongs as the 10-11 favourite for the Listed Paddy Power Lucky Friday 13th Carnarvon Stakes powered to a three-length victory over Andronikos .
Coral cut the David Elsworth-trained Zafonic colt from 25-1 to 8-1 for York’s Golden Jubilee Stakes at their Royal Ascot fixture after Liam Keniry made almost all the running.
However, Elsworth is intent on sending him to Sandown first.
“The Temple Stakes, straight up the middle over that fast five furlongs, would be ideal,” said Elsworth.
“He is a very quick horse, as fast a horse as I have ever had. It is easy to say that afterwards, but I said that before the race.
“I was drunk at Richard Hannon’s place last night and I told him it was a certainty to win today – I was even more sure he would this morning!
“He was unlucky on his first start and had he had a little bit of luck on that occasion, he would still be unbeaten.”
The victory sparked a short-priced double for the Whitsbury handler as High Bray (5-4), ridden by Richard Hughes, followed up his Brighton success with a decisive length-and-a-half victory over Gjovic in the 10-furlong TKP Surfacing Handicap.
Elsworth said: “We expected him to win at Brighton and he duly did it again today. If the handicapper isn’t too unkind, he’ll go in again.”
Mick Channon has a terrific record in the Queen Mary Stakes in recent years, winning it twice with Bint Allayl (1998) and Queen’s Logic (2001).
The Lambourn trainer is targeting the race again at the Royal meeting next month, this time with Flashy Wings (2-5), who bolted up in the five-furlong Sanctuary Group Fillies’ Conditions Stakes under Ted Durcan.
After the daughter of Zafonic romped to a seven-length victory over two rivals, Channon admitted he thinks she is every bit as good as his previous Queen Mary winners.
“She’s got the same class as Tobougg, Bint Allayl and Queen’s Logic. You have to be careful what you say because horses do make fools out of you, but I have to say that I think she is very high class.
“Right from day one I have liked her and she’d be as good as any of the top two-year-olds we’ve had in the past, though she has yet to do it at the highest level.
“She got a bit hot at times, but she’ll come on for the experience and she’ll go straight to York.”
Hughie Morrison’s Intrepid Jack looks a colt of promise and he equalled the old six-furlong track record.
The Compton Place colt, sent off the 9-2 co-favourite, was five lengths too good for My Gacho in the Norland Managed Services Handicap, having come through under Steve Drowne well over a furlong out.
“It rode like a very good race,” said Drowne.
“He is a typical Hughie type of horse – he will improve. The boss said to go easy on him, because this was only his third run, but when I kicked on, he really flew.
“He’s a really nice colt and he’s worked with all the good ones in the yard. He’ll improve for this as well.”
It wasn’t a good race for Pat Dobbs, who rode unplaced Karaoke. He was given a two-day careless riding ban (May 24-25) for causing interference.
John Gosden’s Wild Savannah (7-2) paid a compliment to the Vodafone Derby chances of Unfurled, who beat him comprehensively at Goodwood last time, when winning the concluding Wirebird Maiden Stakes by six lengths under Jimmy Fortune.
“He disappointed at Goodwood, I don’t know why. However, he pleased us in the Wood Ditton previously when he was third, and the form of both divisions of that has worked out very well,” said the trainer.
“This one will stay to this 10-furlong trip for now and hopefully the handicapper will be kind.”
