Friday 18th May 2007
Durcan's double delight
Ted Durcan rides Longquan to success at Newmarket this afternoon
TED DURCAN rode a 12-1 double this afternoon as a two-day fixture got underway on the NatWest Rowley Mile.
The jockey first found the winner’s enclosure on the well-bred Latanazul in the betdirectpoker.com $50,000 Freeroll This Sunday fillies’ maiden. Trained by John Dunlop, the daughter of Sakhee was given an enterprising ride from the front by Durcan and came out best from her tussle with Hypoteneuse to prevail by a neck.
Durcan said: “When I spoke to Mr Dunlop about her this morning he was very positive; hence, I was similarly positive in riding her. The mile-and-a-half trip wasn’t a problem - she stayed and battled well.”
Just half-an-hour later, Durcan triumphed again - this time aboard the impressive Longquan. The three-year-old gelding had too much toe for his rivals in running out a three-length winner of the Animal Health Trust handicap staged over six furlongs.
Durcan added: “He really appreciated the ease in the ground and the race just went perfectly for him. He is a lovely horse for the future.”
It was a red-letter day for Lambourn-based trainer Harry Dunlop as he saddled his first-ever two-year-old winner with his first-ever Newmarket runner. Festoso, a son of Diesis, made a winning start to his career, triumphing by a head from Pixie’s Blue in the six-furlong European Breeders’ Fund fillies maiden First on hand to congratulate him was his brother Ed, who waited by the winner’s enclosure to offer a handshake.
“We are thrilled,” said Harry. “She had been doing some nice work at home but you never quite know until you run them. It is now just a question of where we go next, so I will speak to connections but we will keep her at six furlongs for the time being.”
There was a thrilling finish to the NGK Spark Plugs handicap as Trafalgar Square and Fajr slugged it out through the final furlong. In the end, it was the John Akehurst-trained Trafalgar Square who scored by a head at rewarding odds of 16-1.
Akehurst, who will consider giving his charge an entry in the Royal Hunt Cup or the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, said: “He has always been a very tough, game horse and has been a favourite of mine for a while.”
The other winners on the card were Oceana Gold (bet direct.com Get Involved handicap), Street Life (bet direct.com handicap) and Fathom Five took the concluding bet direct.com Freeroll Password When You Bet handicap to give jockey Philip Robinson a 40-1 double on the day.
By Tony Rushmer
