Bittersweet day for Ahern
Eddie Ahern experienced a topsy-turvy day at Bath where he incurred an eight-day suspension under the Jockey Club’s totting-up system only to make the best of a spare ride on Bold Diktator.
The ban means he will miss the last three days of Royal Ascot, with his misfortunes starting when he rode Murrumbidgee in the totecourse to course Handicap, won by Maidford.
The stewards enquired into two incidents of interference a furlong and a half out concerning Ahern and Eddie Creighton on Emily’s Pet.
In the first incident they found that Emily’s Pet had interfered with Murrumbidgee but that it was accidental, although in the second incident, in which the interference was the other way round, they considered that Ahern was guilty of improper riding in that he appeared to strike Creighton with his elbow.
They suspended Ahern for five days for this offence, and taking into consideration three days he was already suspended, they banned him for a total of eight days on June 22 to June 29 inclusive.
Ahern’s luck turned when Willie Muir booked him for Bold Diktator totesport.com Handicap with Steve Drowne was unfit to ride, having hurt himself at Newbury the previous evening.
Ahern gelled with the 5-1 chance and, after a supremely confident ride, produced the four-year-old to score by a length and a quarter and a neck from Barons Spy and Trevian.
Muir was a relieved man to get off the ‘cold list’ and his representative Jonathan Jannaway said: “We’ve been knocking on the door with seconds and thirds in good races but this is our first winner in five weeks.
“The cold weather meant that our horses were backward in their coats but hopefully the floodgates will now open.”
David Evans knows what it takes to produce a two-year-old capable of success at Royal Ascot and he is looking in that direction with Slipasearcher following the filly’s success over Fly Time in the toteplacepot Median Auction Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.
The 3-1 chance showed a fine turn of foot to settle the issue under Shane Kelly.
“She’ll be entered for the Albany Stakes over six furlongs as I feel the five of the Queen Mary will be too sharp for her,” Evans said.
“I bought her at Tattersalls in Ireland and I don’t know how good she is. The great thing is that she has a good temperament and comes from a good family.”
Richard Hannon saddled two favourites in the shape of Lester Leaps In and Madhavi and the pair duly obliged under Ryan Moore and Richard Hughes respectively.
Lester Leaps In, 5-2, proved two and a half lengths too good for Golden Sprite in the totequadpot Handicap, after which Hannon’s son Richard Hannon Junior said: “He’s been threatening to win a race and is going the right way. He’s a very sound horse for whom the ground held no fears.”
Hughes dictated affairs throughout on Madhavi (7-4) to take the totepool “A Better Way To Bet” Handicap by two lengths from market rival Ground Patrol.
Hannon Junior said of the grey: “She’s a filly with a lot of ability but tends to go in and out of form and half the battle is knowing when she’s right as was the case today.”
Moore went on to complete a double when teaming up with his father Gary to take the toteexacta Handicap by a length and a half on top weight Mostarsil.
The eight-year-old stretched away from Redspin, with Barnbrook Empire a length back in third.
The success of Maidford in the mile handicap provided Martyn Meade with compensation for the filly’s unlucky defeat at Goodwood on Friday when she met with interference and was almost brought down.
Meade said of Fergus Sweeney’s mount: “It was a risk to run her again so quickly but she loved this fast ground. She gives me the impression she would do even better when stepped up to a mile and a quarter.”
Sweeney was another to complete a double when making all on the Malcolm Saunders-trained Caustic Wit in the closing totesport 0800 221 221 Handicap.
