Sri Putra storms to Solario success
A sleepless night nursing a bruised hip was not enough to prevent Philip Robinson returning to Sandown to win the betinternet.com Solario Stakes aboard Sri Putra.
Robinson was on Friday thrown from an intended mount in the paddock at the same track, leaving the weighing-room veteran with a bad limp.
He was also forced to give up the remainder of his rides – but the temptation of reuniting with the Michael Jarvis-trained juvenile was too much.
Sri Putra made a decent impression when winning on his debut at Newbury but had been off the track for 79 days and faced a number of other unbeaten and well-regarded rivals.
One of those, 5-2 favourite Cry Of Freedom, attempted to make all the running before Eve Johnson Houghton’s The Cheka took over two furlongs from home.
The Cheka was still leading inside the final furlong, but Robinson battled through the pain to shove Sri Putra into pole position and win by half a length, with Patrician’s Glory just a neck back in third.
Raven’s Pass last year bucked the trend of some fairly ordinary recent winners of the Solario and now Sri Putra will attempt to follow suit.
“We just gave him some time off after Newbury as he wasn’t quite right,” explained Jarvis.
“He had been working nicely but I thought he’d be better for the race, and he still might be.
“I think he will get a mile next year and is the best of our two-year-olds to have run so far.
“He could now go for the Tattersalls Million race (at Newmarket).”
Robinson added: “I was only really 50-50 to ride, as I was up most of the night with ice-packs.
“I gave up other rides as, because I was taking painkillers, I couldn’t lose any weight.
“I sat on a couple for Michael this morning and while I told him I was quite lame, I felt much better on a horse than walking!”
Johnson Houghton was not downbeat about runner-up The Cheka, adding: “Looking at the size of him, he’s going to improve and improve.
“He’s run a blinder considering he had to go to York and back when it was called off and may have been left a little short.
“We’ll look at the Tattersalls Million, then maybe the Dewhurst.”
Sri Putra caused negligible interest in the ante-post market and is a general 33-1 shot for the 2000 Guineas.
A crowd swollen by glorious weather and the opportunity to spot various grades of celebrities raising money for Variety Club Day were given a real poser in the Best Odds Guaranteed At betinternet.com Stakes.
Handicap maestro Luca Cumani had two representatives in 6-1 joint-favourites Ask The Butler and Swop, with the pair finishing first and third respectively.
Dane O’Neill poked Ask The Butler through at just the right time to come in three-quarters of a length clear of Lang Shining and promote himself to around 10-1 favourite for the totesport Cambridgeshire.
“It (the Cambridgeshire) is a possibility for Ask The Butler, but he must have fast ground and we will see what the handicapper does,” said Cumani.
“He came to me in March and has improved so much.
“Swop ran a great race too – I don’t like having two fancied horses in the same race and I was sad to see him beaten.
“The Cambridgeshire is very much a possibility for him too.”
Richard Hills chose the right one of Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s pair as Shabiba (17-2) came clear in the Listed Iveco Atalanta Stakes. The owner’s Ghaidaa was third.
Trainer Marcus Tregoning, given the honour of receiving a prize from the day’s star guest Suzanne Shaw, said: “It’s a shame she hasn’t won all year, but hopefully she can win another one after this – there may be a race at Longchamp.
“I’d love her to stay in training but I am not sure she will.”
