Friday 13th August 2010
Frankel impresses on debut
FRANKEL lit up a very rainy July Course with an impressive victory on debut in the European Breeders’ Fund maiden for trainer Henry Cecil and jockey Tom Queally.
The son of Galileo had shown plenty on the gallops at home and was sent off the 7/4 favourite.
Conditions were testing for these juveniles but Queally adopted a good position on Frankel in the middle of the field.
The pace was set by the experienced Dortmund but as the soft ground began to take its toll on many of the front runners it was left to Frankel and the John Gosden-trained Nathaniel to fight it out.
Cecil’s charge always had the better of Nathaniel, winning by half a length, but the pair were five lengths clear of the third and could both be contenders for the big juvenile races later in the season.
A delighted Cecil said: “That was very good and he has done it easily. I hope he can come on for it and go on to better things.
“We shall stay at a mile with him and look at races such as the Royal Lodge and the Racing Post Trophy.”
Queally added: “That was nice. He’s won very readily and factoring in ordinary improvement he should be good.”
Diamond Penny got favourite backers off to the best possible start by taking the Racing UK median auction maiden at odds of 7/4.
The Paul Cole-trained juvenile was having his third fourth run and with fitness at a premium on the rain-softened ground he ran out a ready three and a half length winner.
Winning jockey Jamie Spencer said: “It’s very soft and he went on it well. It probably wasn’t the strongest Newmarket maiden ever but he has done it well in the end.”
The NGK Spark Plugs handicap went the way of Rash Judgement (8/1) for trainer Stuart Kittow and jockey Chris Catlin.
Catlin was always handy aboard the five-year-old and his mount rallied gamely when challenged by Pirate’s Song to win by half a length.
The winning trainer said: “He is a good horse but just gets in a stew some times. He doesn’t like the stalls much but we have done lots of work and he is getting better.
“He’s won on good to soft and acted well on the soft today. He is stronger than the three-year-olds and that was his advantage.”
Young apprentice John Fahy is one of the up and coming talents of the weighing room and he was once again seen at his best on the Clive Cox-trained Perfect Silence in the Singh Skips, the Safe bet fillies’ handicap.
The daughter of Dansili, a 7/2 chance, travelled strongly throughout and stayed on well up the hill to win by a length and a half.
Oh So Saucy continued trained Chris Wall’s good record on the July Course by taking the Hughes handicap under Alan Munro.
The 7/1 chance showed signs of a return to form when third at Yarmouth nine days ago and confirmed that promise with a game win this evening.
The six-year-old was produced late on the scene by Munro but scored with a bit to spare by three quarters of a length.
Jockey Kieren Fallon has been tremendous form of late and rode his 12th winner of the fortnight on Grams And Ounces in the Cliff Waterman Memorial handicap giving trainer Amy Weaver a first success on the July Course.
It looked for much of the contest that the long time leader Orpen Wide would hold on but Fallon never gave up on the 11/4 chance and he got up inside the final furlong to win by a length and three quarters.
Racing resumes on the July Course tomorrow with the action kicking off at 1:45.
By Jackie Jarvis
