Wovoka wows Channon
Mick Channon hopes to strike while the iron is hot with Wovoka after the hard-working gelding defied top weight to take the cantorspreadfair.com Nursery at Newbury.
Channon’s gelding, making his 14th appearance of the season, was sent off a 20-1 chance to take the seven-furlong affair under Ted Durcan.
But equipped with a visor for the first time, the winner tore through the pack to come from almost last to first and win with a little something in hand from favourite Commentary.
“He handled the ground well and I’ve put him in again for a nursery here on Saturday,” said Channon.
“I’m not sure if dropping back to six furlongs will be a big help but we are going for a bonus scheme offered at the Goffs Sales when he was bought last year.
“If he wins again and Septimus doesn’t win the Racing Post Trophy then I think we win it.”
The one-off bonus scheme offers a prize of €100,000 to the owner and €50,000 to the trainer of the horse bought at the sales who collects most points during this season. Vendor and purchaser also receive €50,000.
Aidan O’Brien’s late lunge at the British trainers’ championship enjoyed a minor fillip in the opening contest when the well-backed Poseidon Adventure took the first division of the EBF Greene King IPA Maiden Stakes.
The choicely-bred son of Sadler’s Wells needed pretty much every yard of the straight mile to get on top of his rivals, but stayed on strongly close home under Johnny Murtagh to account for eyecatching runner-up Zaif by three-quarters of a length.
The second division of the race went to another favourite, 10-11 chance Shahin, who won in the style that his odds suggested as he beat Supaseus by two and a half lengths – the pair nine lengths clear of their rivals.
Trainer Marcus Tregoning has finished the season on a high and along with Dewhurst hero Sir Percy, has an abundance of juvenile talent to look forward to next year.
“It was different ground to that which she had encountered before, but with Sadler’s Wells as the dam’s sire, you had to be hopeful,” he said.
“He is very much a staying type of horse for next year and it was quite a good time, considering the ground.
“I am just glad that we ran him again now as he probably needed this bit of extra experience before he goes away for the winter.”
On a day of typically trappy late-season maiden contests, plenty of next term’s talent were put through their paces.
Prince Woodman looked a nice prospect for the future as he outsprinted his rivals to take the six-furlong James & Cowper Maiden Stakes.
The Brian Meehan-trained colt is owned by American Earle Mack, whose colours were carried to victory by Electrocutionist in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York.
Electrocutionist, who runs in the Woodbine International at Canada this weekend, seem to have inspired Mack to become more involved in the sport in Britain.
After seeing Prince Woodman, a 10-1 chance, quicken up to beat Loyal Royal by a length and three-quarters, the owner’s racing manager Fiona Shaw said: “Mr Mack is in Canada with some friends at the moment, looking forward to seeing Electrocutionist run.
“He has a total of 48 horses in training, including two in Britain, but there are others on the way to be trained by Brian and other trainers.”
Meehan, who has had “a hell of a year”, added that there was no decision yet over future plans for last Saturday’s Emirates Champion Stakes star David Junior.
“It’s only been a week but he has come out of the race well,” the trainer said.
“Everything is an option for him – Hong Kong, Dubai, next year’s Breeders’ Cup, Royal Ascot; everything.
“I really do think that the world is his oyster. He could become one of the greats.”
Colloquial sluiced through the ground to take the two-mile Sodexho Prestige Handicap for Henry Candy and Dane O’Neill.
The late-developing son of Classic Cliché is regarded as a long-term prospect for next year’s totesport Cesarewitch by his handler.
At the opposite end of the distance spectrum, the speedy Zowington – “the only Zafonic who goes on soft ground,” according to trainer Chris Wall – showed his rivals a clean pair of hooves to take the six-furlong Stan James Handicap.
