Flight floors Simon rivals

Day Flight returned to his best to floor his rivals with a powerful display in the Stan James St Simon Stakes at Newbury.

Off the track for more than three months since being easily outpointed by Gamut at Newmarket, trainer John Gosden had sweetened up his charge.

And the 3-1 joint-favourite could hardly have landed the spoils more impressively, sweeping between rivals as a gap opened at the furlong-pole with Richard Hughes at his most risk-takingly dangerous.

This being his third Group Three victory of the season, connections are understandably keen to step the four-year-old up in grade when he returns to action next season.

But in the meantime it was a satisfying finale to Day Flight’s 2005 campaign for Gosden, who is hoping his fine end-of-season form will continue in New York next week when he runs Leo and Karen’s Caper in the Breeders’ Cup.

“Richard obviously felt he had so much horse under him he could wriggle through them rather than around,” said Gosden.

“We were thinking of going to Italy for a Group One with him but they have reduced the prize-money and by the time they have paid you out you barely make a profit with the travel costs.

“There was also a Group Two in France we looked at but Prince Khalid (Abdullah) had a runner in it already so we came here and it couldn’t have worked out better.

“He wasn’t right at Newmarket but I knew we had him back in form for today and he will come back here next season for the John Porter before we step up the ladder.”

A return to hurdling beckons for runner-up Self Defense, who stayed on again - as is his habit – having looked beaten two furlongs about and finished a clear second.

Fourth-home Mubtaker, who was not seen to best effect in a sprint finish, will also stay in training next season as connections search for the elusive Group One victory that will make him a hotter prospect as a stallion.

Gosden completed a 23-1 double when Top Man Tee (5-1) took the cantorspreadfair.com Maiden Stakes in the hands of Ryan Moore.

Aidan O’Brien strengthened his absurdly-powerful hand yet further for next year’s 2000 Guineas as Hurricane Cat claimed the Stan James Horris Hill Stakes.

The Ballydoyle handler now has no less than eight horses quoted at 33-1 or less with bookmakers Coral for next year’s colts’ Classic.

And Cashmans, who originally offered 5-1 four months ago against O’Brien winning the race for the fourth time, now go just even-money about a stable representative landing the spoils at Newmarket next May after the son of Storm Cat came steaming through from off the pace to lead a furlong out in the Group Three contest.

Although the 6-1 winner idled close home in the testing conditions, Colm O’Donoghue’s mount had done enough to hold on by three-quarters of a length from Final Verse.

“He has always been a nice sort of horse but he has just taken time to come to hand,” said the rider.

“He was idling in the closing stages but he has a good attitude and has done it well.”

The victory had a sting in the tail for O’Donoghue, however, as the rider was banned for four days (November 2-5) for using his whip with excessive frequency.

Punters looking to support O’Brien’s army of two-year-old talent might do worse than consider throwing a speculative fiver at Cashmans’ quote of 100-1 about O’Brien winning all five Classics next season.

Short Dance, who finished fourth to the O’Brien-trained Race For The Stars last time out, advertised the form of that filly when taking the stanjamesuk.com Radley Stakes to give Hughes a double.

“She is a very lively filly, a real handful at home – I rode her once and that was enough,” said Charlie Hills, assistant to his father Barry.

“In that respect she is like her dam but fortunately she is calming down a little now and going the right way all the time.”

Short Dance certainly showed the right mettle in the race itself, battling back when headed by Cantabria at the furlong-pole to regain the lead and score by a head with Asaawir a further neck back in third. Both first and second carried the same colours as Day Flight.

The day after the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, there could have been few more appropriate winners than the Sylvester Kirk-trained Trafalgar Bay, who took the Sir Gerald Whent Memorial Nursery.

Frankie Dettori rode a supremely confident race aboard the gambled-on 9-2 joint-favourite, bringing him wide down the outside of the field to beat Jimmy The Guesser, who stayed on well to snatch second, by a length and a half.

The successful son of Fruits of Love clearly appreciated the give underfoot and heads to winter quarters with connections hopeful of further improvement from the colt as a three-year-old.

Like Kirk, Henry Candy had a dreadful start to the season when his string were ravaged with a virus through the spring.

But the Kingstone Warren trainer has been making up for lost time in recent weeks and 24 hours after striking with Colloquial at the track, he was in the winner’s enclosure again after Khyber Kim had taken the stanjamesuk.com Handicap.

The 8-1 chance got the best of a good battle with Admiral’s Cruise to assert close home and edge out his opponent by half a length.

“It hasn’t been the greatest of seasons but at least we have got them right again now,” said Candy.

“He is a brave horse and a very able one. He has a huge frame and should grow into it a little more next season.”