No secret to Sakhee success

Sakhee’s Secret staked his claim for top sprinting honours when completing a hat-trick in impressive fashion with victory in the Axminster Carpets Cathedral Stakes at Salisbury.

The three-year-old was supported to overturn the hot favourite Prime Defender and duly delivered the goods when producing a stunning change of pace inside the final furlong, pulling four lengths clear of the market leader in a time marginally outside the course record.

Winning trainer Hughie Morrison is keen to target the 7-4 scorer at the July Cup.

He said: “We were all a bit disappointed with him when he won at Newbury last time because he didn’t do it in quite the manner you would expect of a 1-4 chance.

“Obviously he was running on three out of four cylinders that day and Steve (Drowne) said he felt a different horse this time.

“He’s in the July Cup and in this sort of form you would have to think about running him in Group races like that. There’s also the Haydock Sprint Cup, but I’d have to be incredibly patient to wait that long before running him again.”

Stan James introduced Sakhee’s Secret into their July Cup market at 10-1 and Drowne believes that race could be within his compass.

He said: “He’s electric and when I gave him a couple of smacks he really picked up.”

Golden Dixie (5-1) is a decent sprinter in his own right and earned a tilt at the Hong Kong Sprint at Ascot with his length-and-a-quarter success over Makabul in the flaxmillgallery.com handicap.

Trainer Ron Harris believes he can avenge his narrow defeat of last year in that race, run at the end of July.

He said: “You need to ride him with loads of patience and his jockey Luke Morris has got all of that and more.”

Harris went on to complete a double with the well-supported Winged Farasi in the Pertemps People Development “Hands And Heels” Apprentice Handicap.

Alan Rutter always had the 11-8 favourite poised on the heels of the leaders and the combination looked good value for their two-length margin.

Hugh Bowman began Royal Ascot week in the perfect way as he notched a double on Mustajed (3-1 favourite) in the Albert Samuel “City Bowl” Handicap and El Toreador (8-1) in the Chas H Baker Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

Mustajed was impressive in defying top weight with a three-length success over Love Always, after which trainer Rod Millman said: “He’s had all sorts of problems, fracturing both back pasterns, but he resides in our top row of six boxes close by Sergeant Cecil.

“I think we ran him a bit quick at Windsor and he was a bit flat, but he’d given me the right signals and hopefully will now go up to Newcastle and run in the Northumberland Plate.”

Bowman had ridden Gerard Butler’s El Toreador on the gallops and that useful experience served the Australian well as he delivered the three-year-old to take the spoils from Josephine Malines and disappointing favourite Dramatic Touch.

Butler said: “She ran well on her return at Newbury and the form has held up. She’d been working very nicely and I couldn’t believe she started at 8-1.”

Sylvester Kirk’s team are beginning to find their form and there was further encouragement for the Upper Lambourn trainer when Our Faye arrived late on the scene to pip Rogue by half a length in the Danco Marquees Fillies’ Handicap.

Kirk said: “I really felt this filly was going to need the run, but it just goes to show that my horses are getting better under their own steam.

“I’ll be pretty quiet at Ascot, but I have a couple of promising two-year-olds in Aide Memoir in the Albany and Ramona Chase in the Chesham.”