Spencer at the double
Championship-chasing jockey Jamie Spencer registered a short-priced double before jetting off to Windsor’s evening meeting when scoring aboard Rough Rock and Rosy Alexander at Yarmouth.
The rider had started the day tied on 91 wins with Seb Sanders at the top of the table but, unfortunately for Spencer, both of the leading players ended the afternoon on 93 with Sanders in double form at Wolverhampton.
Spencer enjoyed an armchair ride on his first winner Rough Rock, who pulverised his rivals when dropped in class in the Great Yarmouth Mercury Selling Stakes over six furlongs.
Brian Meehan’s youngster had shaped well in nurseries and maidens and enjoyed his easiest task to date when facing eight rivals under the former champion jockey.
The Rock Of Gibraltar colt sailed into the lead at an early stage and soon had most of the field under pressure before cruising to a six-length victory as the 4-6 favourite.
Spencer said: “With the wind behind, you can hear a pin drop so I was looking around for non-existent dangers and he has done it well.”
Spencer’s brace was completed as the Neville Callaghan-trained Rosy Alexander came from off the pace to claim the Shirley Gill Memorial Maiden Auction Stakes.
The 5-6 favourite stormed home having been squeezed for room to finish sixth at Newmarket last week, but she made slightly heavy weather of capitalising on that effort.
The daughter of Spartacus wandered once hitting the front and was joined by Azure Mist inside the distance, only to find her stride in the closing stages and draw away for a half-length victory.
On a day which seemed to suit front-runners, Natalia Gemelova earned a pillar-to-post victory aboard 40-1 shot For Life in the Martin Foulger Memorial Handicap.
Following her five-length success, Gemelova said: “He was hanging but he did it well and there is more to come.
“As soon as we had gone half a furlong he calmed down, and once he is in the lead he relaxes. He is a nice horse but the more you take a pull the faster he goes, but if you drop your hands he relaxes.”
Jonny Portman’s Cocabana made all the running to deny hot-favourite Alabama Spirit in the Letheby & Christopher Fillies’ Maiden Auction Stakes.
The 15-8 market leader could not land a blow against the front-running 100-30 winner, who collected by two and a half lengths under Tom Queally.
The rider said: “She has plenty of pace and Mr Portman said to jump and be positive on her. She didn’t quite get five and a half furlongs last time so I kept a bit up my sleeve and she has lasted home well.”
Don Cantillon sent out two runners in the two-mile Norfolk Nelson Museum Handicap but it was his less-fancied Sharaab (15-2) who overhauled Vice Admiral to score by a length and a quarter.
His other representative, Josh You Are, returned the 4-1 favourite and was a further length and a half adrift in third.
Cantillon then completed his own brace as Regal Sunset (16-1) took the closing Roy & Joan Tanner Memorial Lady Riders’ Handicap.
