Desert delight for O'Donohoe
Jockey Daragh O’Donohoe took his seasonal tally to 16 and provided Godolphin with a winner by the seaside as Desert Chill got off the mark in the Barking Brickwork Maiden Stakes at Brighton.
Sheikh Mohammed’s operation have failed with their last three runners at the track, which have been spread over a four-year period.
O’Donohoe changed that though, when stretching clear on the 2-5 favourite to record an eight-length success.
O’Donohoe said: “She has done it well and she loved the ground, but the wind was unreal and was blowing her around.
“I had to let her come over to the stands rail and she did it well in a moderate race. I knew I was on the best filly.”
O’Donohoe went on to ride a 9-1 double completed by Enodoc (6-1) taking the digibet.co.uk Handicap.
Rapid Release floored the odds-on favourite Wilbury Star in the four-runner EBF Cats Protection Median Auction Maiden Stakes.
Strong winds and heavy showers made things tough on the track for the juveniles but Sir Mark Prescott’s 13-8 chance overcame conditions under Seb Sanders to deny the 8-15 market leader by a length and a quarter.
Part-owner Patrick McSweeney said: “He is a brave horse and Seb said he was blown about like a boat in the gales, but he has such a lovely attitude.
“He has run here before and these small things help.”
Last year’s joint-champion jockey was another to ride a brace and completed his near 8-1 double in the Argus Handicap as he produced Napoletano late in the day to collect at odds of 9-4.
Jo Crowley sent out her first winner at the track as Patavium Prince came out on top in a tight finish to the Agora Management In Support Of Cats Protection Handicap.
The 5-2 favourite has finished in the runner-up birth on his two most recent starts which both came at the Sussex venue, and he went one better under Dane O’Neill.
Having sat just off the pace in the seven-furlong event, Patavium Prince led with a furlong to go and held on by a short head from Millfield with the fast-finishing Albaraari a neck back in third.
The winning jockey received a massive blow post-race though, incurring an 11-day suspension which rules him out of the King George meeting and the beginning of Glorious Goodwood.
The stewards ruled he had used his whip with excessive frequency and banned him for two days, which triggered a deferred suspension of nine days ruling him out of action from July 20-30 inclusive.
South Wales has an entry in the Newmarket Sales this week and potentially signed off his career with Stuart Williams when taking the Petplan In Support Of Cats Protection Handicap as the well-supported 15-8 favourite.
