Royal clues aplenty at Newmarket
There were plenty of Royal Ascot clues on show at Newmarket as a three-day meeting kicked off with Martyr, Bell’s Ocean and Roaring Forte all bound for the Queen’s course next month.
The former has the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap as his likely target should he make the cut after successfully stepping up to a mile and a half in the newmarketracecourses.co.uk Handicap.
The Highclere Thoroughbred-owned four-year-old headed to the Rowley Mile on the back of a recent Windsor win, and relished the extra distance under Richard Hughes to collect at odds of 4-1.
Trainer Richard Hannon’s son and assistant Richard junior commented: “He has proved he gets a mile and a half and will improve again for the run as he got fat through the winter.
“He will make his mark in a big handicap at some point.”
John Ryan sent out his first winner at his local track as Bell’s Ocean took the EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes, after which his thoughts immediately turned to the Royal meeting.
The speedy filly was Ryan’s 16th runner at Headquarters, and she made virtually all of the running to oblige as the 11-4 joint-favourite.
Ryan said: “I think we will look at Ascot now as the ground there will suit her.
“My first thought would be the Queen Mary as it is a stiff five furlongs and I think she has got the speed to be involved.”
Roaring Forte is another heading to the Royal jamboree after leading from pillar to post in the Edmondson Hall Solicitors & Sports Lawyers Handicap over seven furlongs.
William Haggas’ four-year-old had twice won on the all-weather, and the 5-2 chance was registering his first victory on turf when seeing off the odds-on favourite Tryst by two and a half lengths.
Haggas said: “The plan is to run him again in about three and a half weeks’ time, and we ran him here to see if he has enough speed for the Buckingham Palace in case he doesn’t get into the Hunt Cup.”
Bullet Man, the 15-8 favourite, shot his five rivals to pieces with a tidy length-and-three-quarters success in the 10-furlong Peters Elworthy & Moore Chartered Accountants Handicap.
Trainer Luca Cumani said: “We decided to go on as there were no confirmed front-runners in the race.
“I was slightly worried coming into the dip but when he hit the rising ground he lengthened away again, and he will get a mile and a half.”
London Bridge, representing John Gosden and Jimmy Fortune, got his career back on track following a disappointing comeback at Doncaster back in March when obliging as the 11-10 favourite in the Liam Sheridan Racing Maiden Stakes.
Gosden said: “He disappointed us at Doncaster, make no mistake about that, but he has won and we will keep him to a mile and a quarter for the time being.”
William Buick followed up his Newmarket treble of last Saturday by ploughing a lone furrow down the centre of the course to take the newmarketexperience.co.uk Handicap aboard 7-1 chance Thunder Gorge.
