Tungsten strikes stayers' claim
Tungsten Strike staked his claim for the stayers’ crown with a resolute performance at Sandown.
Robbed on the line by Cover Up at Lingfield on his seasonal reappearance, the five-year-old gained sweet revenge in the wbx.com World Bet Exchange Henry II Stakes.
While 11-4 favourite Cover Up could only trail home las of the seven runners, seemingly unsuited by the conditions, Tungsten Strike strode clear under Ryan Moore to take the Group Two contest.
And the winner will now head to Ascot for an open-looking renewal of the Gold Cup, for which bookmakers VCBet and Paddy Power cut him from 20-1 to 14-1.
Moore’s mount had been left in front turning into the home straight when Art Eyes dashed off to the far rail while the rest of the field came to the stands side in search of better ground.
And once able to secure his place right next to the hedge on the near side of the track, Moore’s mount kept grinding away to record a five-length victory over the staying-on Winged d’Argent.
“He is a long-striding horse who prefers better ground but he certainly deserved to win and we will go to Ascot and give the Gold Cup a go now,” said successful trainer Amanda Perrett of the 4-1 winner.
“I was worried about the ground but when I walked the course I was pleasantly surprised how decent it was right next to the hedge and Ryan made sure he had the best of it all the way.
“We’ve been having plenty of seconds and thirds rcently but this has definitely been a good day at the office.”
Moore, again sticking closest to the stands side, went on to complete a 54-1 double when Best Guess (10-1) got up in the last stride to take the seven-furlong Range Rover Handicap.
And the rider was all the rage in the betting ring to make it a treble when Cleaver was slashed from 5-1 into 3-1 before the start of the closing mile-and-a-qurter wbx.com World Bet Exchange Handicap.
But just as the favourite was reaching a challenging position, the horse spooked and the rider lost his irons and Moore was all but unseated just over a furlong out.
The race fell to 14-1 chance Summer Charm and apprentice Bradley Roper.
Vince Smith’s decision to make an 11th-hour entry for Christmas Tart paid off in the opening event when the filly ploughed through the mud to take the four-runner wbx.com World Bet Exchange EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.
Bank Holiday punters who came to see Frankie Dettori in action were not disappointed as the Italian galvanised the 4-9 favourite into a two-and-a-half-length victory over La Marmotte.
It was hard work for the winner on ground that th Italian described as “proper Cheltenham going”, but Smith hopes Christmas Tart will be good enough to give a good account in next month’s Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.
“I only put her in here at 9.55 yesterday mrning when I saw the race had two runners declared,” he said.
“Hopefully it will be quicker ground at Ascot because I’d like to run her there and she was hating it here.
“But I think she’s pretty good and she was very unlucky at Newbury on her previous run when she totally missed the break.”
Cav Okay adopted his customary trailblazing tactics in the following wbx.com World Bet Exchange National Stakes.
But the leader had no answer to Dettori again as 8-13 favourite Excellent Art swept past over a furlong out and quickly put the result of the Listed contest beyond doubt.
At the line, Excellent Art and Dettori had an enormous nine lengths to spare over Cav Okay, who held on for second spot in a photograph.
Trainer Neville Callaghan may now avoid the temptation to send the son of Pivotal to Royal Ascot where he fears the ground could be unsuitably fast for his charge.
“It’s nice to come here and win a decent race but we didn’t really expect him to win like that,” said Callaghan.
“He should be even better over six furlongs than he is over five as there is plenty of stamina in the pedigree – his half-brother Double Obsession gets two miles and more.
“I just have a doubt about the ground at Ascot and the original plan had been to go to Epsom next weekend where I have entered him for the Woodcote.
“It is a bit quick but he hasn’t had much of a race today, the journey in the horsebox probably took more out of him.”
Kerrin McEvoy produced another well-judged ride to take the Butlins Bingo Handicap aboard the David Arbuthnot-trained Tanzanite (5-1).
Making a quick reappearance after finishing third at Ascot two days ago, the Revoque filly made smooth headway to lead two furlongs out and as the early pacesetters dropped away Tanzanite kept on readily to score by three and a half lengths.
