Befourtyfour bounces back

Michael Jarvis evidently considered Befortyfour pretty smart to let him take his chance at Royal Ascot on just his second start and the gelding again did little wrong on his seasonal reappearance at Lingfield.

Although only 13th in the Windsor Castle Stakes, he was not beaten far by Drawnfromthepast and is reported to have taken a long time to come to himself since last June.

Sent off the 30-100 favourite in a modest field for the Lingfield Park Derby Trial On May 10th Maiden Stakes, the three-year-old bolted up by six lengths.

“He really needed to win like that,” considered rider Philip Robinson.

“We thought a lot of him last year and just wasn’t right when he came back from Ascot.”

Natalia Gemelova missed the opportunity to provide trainer Michael Squance with his first ever winner but the apprentice will have had more important things on her mind.

The Slovakian-born rider was apparently fortunate to escape unscathed in a nasty car crash in Yorkshire when travelling down to the track, leaving Jamie Spencer to deputise on Hessian in the Weatherbys Bank Fillies’ Handicap.

Hessian (7-1) required the expertise of the joint-champion jockey to find space a couple of furlongs out but came through nicely for a cosy half-length defeat of High ’n Dry.

“I thought she’d win at Kempton last time but one of the handlers had still got hold of her tail when she went out of the stalls,” explained Squance.

“I’ve been doing the job a long time as assistant to people like Paul Howling and I decided to give it a go myself. I just need a few more owners.”

Sir Billy Nick led home a bunch of unexposed runners in the Racing At Folkestone This Thursday Median Auction Maiden Stakes.

Jeremy Noseda’s colt (2-1 favourite) looked more competent than on his debut at Kempton a fortnight ago and Tom Queally drove him out to finish two lengths clear of Themwerethedays.

Jim Lovat, a member of the owners N17 Partnership, said: “The trip on his first race was on the short side although I think the winner (Mullein) was quite decent.

“We knew he would improve greatly for that and I’m sure he’ll go on to better things.”

Sophie Doyle put far more experienced jockeys to shame with a fine front-running effort on Rosy Dawn (14-1) in the Ron Gilbey’s 60th Birthday Selling Stakes.

“Fair play to Sophie – some of the boys have sent the filly along, but Sophie has been very gentle with her and she’s very good with the awkward ones,” said Doyle’s mother and the trainer Jacqui.

Jeff Pearce also kept it in the family as his son Simon coaxed Given A Choice (8-1) to a clear-cut victory in the arenaleisureplac.com Apprentice Handicap.

Eddie Ahern bagged a second winner following his controversial three-month ban aboard the Roger Teal-trained Simpsons Gamble in the Play Golf At Lingfield Park Handicap.