Maiden team look for Group-race success
Malcolm Saunders is planning a trip to Ireland or York with stable star Indian Maiden after the locally-trained mare recorded the fifth Listed-race success of her career at Bath yesterday.
The six-year-old was sent off the 7-2 favourite to repeat her victory of 12 months ago in the EBF Lansdown Fillies’ Stakes and Ted Durcan delivered her to lead close home and claim the spoils by a neck from Dhekraa.
Saunders and the winning owners, who have supported the stable since he started training some 15 years ago, will now look for the thus-far-elusive Group-race victory that will enhance her value for the paddocks.
“There’s a race at Leopardstown for fillies only and the only other Group Three for fillies is at York so we’ll have to look at those but I am just pleased to see her win again,” he smiled.
“She’s such a tough and genuine mare with no quirks. She doesn’t need to go down early, she doesn’t need to be loaded late – she’s just a professional and a pleasure to train.”
Rain throughout the afternoon led to slippery conditions on sections of the track but Saleem Golam kept his head – and his feet – to take the Weatherbys Bank Handicap from an impossible-looking position aboard 14-1 chance High Seasons.
Having skidded around the bend and found his mount almost impossible to control, Golam gradually got back on an even keel and brought the winner with a steady run down the outside.
While the runners on the inside of the track, most notably third-home Conservationist, were busy getting in each other’s way, High Seasons had a clear run to the line and got home in the last stride to deny Tangarita by a short-head.
“I didn’t mean to get so far behind early on but it was so slippery where the rain has fallen on quick ground that I couldn’t do anything but sit and try and get him settled,” said the rider.
Trainer Rod Millman now plans to step the winner up in distance from this mile and a quarter.
Deadshot Keen had run out a cosy winner to get odds-on backers off the mark in the opening contest.
Frankie Dettori’s mount, a promising fourth on his debut at Newmarket a fortnight earlier, was always going nicely and took up the running at the halfway stage of the MJ Church Maiden Stakes.
And although Lipocco made some headway to try and make a challenge in the final stages, the Brian Meehan-trained 4-7 scorer had matters in control and stayed on to take the spoils by a length.
Meehan then completed a double, his first since his March move to the historic Manton yard, when Adventuress took the Racecourse Video Services Maiden Stakes, again under Dettori.
Wantage trainer David Pinder sent out his longest-priced winner and his first one at 66-1 when Danish Monarch made all in the seller.
The five-year-old gelding, breaking his duck at the 29th attempt, started to edge right two furlongs from the finish and ended up in the centre of the course under apprentice Chris Cavanagh.
“It is a bit of a surprise but it wouldn’t have been if he hadn’t run so poorly on the all-weather twice. He must just prefer the turf,” said the successful trainer.
There was a sting in the tail for Cavanagh, however, when the stewards banned the rider for two days (May 13 & 15) for using his whip with excessive frequency.
Punters were caught out again in the Weatherbys Insurance Fillies’ Handicap when Desert Island Disc made a winning return to action for local trainer Jeremy Naylor.
The money-spinning mare may be nine and a veteran of almost 100 races but she showed all of her enthusiasm remains when landing the spoils under Richard Thomas.
