Nosedive enters Norfolk reckoning
William Haggas will have a close look at the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot on Thursday for Nosedive after his impressive performance in winning at Sandown.
The youngster was easy to back in the Bluefin EBF Maiden Stakes after getting hot and bothered in the preliminaries, but once engaging overdrive for Ryan Moore he proved far too strong for Swan Wings, pulling a length and three-quarters clear as the 15-8 second-favourite.
Haggas said: “It surprised me how lit up he got in the paddock, which is completely different to the way he’s been at home, but I did think he’d come on for this outing.
“I put him in the Norfolk just in case he won easily, so now we’ll have to see. We’ll certainly look at it.”
Mark Johnston’s Bikini Babe made full use of her experience to put up an authoritative front-running display under Greg Fairley in the EBF Maiden Stakes, and could also head to the Royal meeting.
The daughter of Montjeu made every yard and came home three and a quarter lengths clear of the promising Liquid Asset.
Owner Alan Spence said: “If she’d won at Newcastle she would definitely have gone for the Chesham (on Saturday, the final day of Ascot), but we found she’d pulled off a shoe.
“Now we have eight days before that race and we’ll have to see how she comes out of it and what Mark thinks.”
Frankie Dettori was given a one-day careless riding ban on Saturday, June 27, after steering 6-1 chance Yirga home in the Mousetrap Challenge Cup Handicap.
Dettori said of the Godolphin-owned winner: “He was a little bit inexperienced but got there in the last bit. It’s not often we have horses rated 74 running anywhere.”
Paul Webber’s Australia Day carbon copied the tactics employed by Bikini Babe when leading throughout under Martin Dwyer in the totesportcasino.com Handicap.
The grey kept pulling out more to repel Wintercast, confounding Webber’s belief he would need the run.
The Cropredy trainer said: “I thought he might just need it, and he’s always needed iron-hard ground.
“He’s so genuine, and does all his work solo at home because he’s quite keen. He’ll improve when the ground gets a bit faster, and will eventually return to hurdles.”
Cathy Gannon maintained her fine run of form when landing the totesportgames.com Handicap on Sharpened Edge, trainer by Bryn Palling.
The 15-2 winner had too many guns for hot favourite Cawdor and Jenny Thomas, head girl to Palling said: “The stiff five furlongs suited her and the boss is over the moon.”
Cawdor’s trainer Henry Candy had better luck in the concluding totesportbingo.com Handicap in which his well-backed 4-1 favourite North Cape was a runaway winner under Fergus Sweeney.
