June 3 – Curragh – Poetic Sound – 81
Ger Lyons has been enjoying a fantastic run of late and in-keeping with the general theme of the yard, this son of Poet’s Word bounced back to winning form after hinting of better things to come previously. Stepping up to 1m6f at the Kildare venue, the five-year-old raced generously just behind the leaders until switched to make his challenge two out and from that juncture, he stayed on best of all to claim the prize late on. Now qualified for the Ebor at York, he has all the attributes of a horse who should go well in that valuable prize later in the season.
June 5 – Doncaster – Harmonics – 80
My Mate Roger was all the rage to capture this 1m2f novice event following three straight runner-up spots but he once again came unstuck against a rival of some potential. John & Thady Gosden’s inmate was a tricky one to assess having not raced on the turf but he handled the switch over to the grass with some aplomb and in pulling well clear of his main market rival in the closing stages, he posted a speed figure that suggests he is well above average. Where he goes from here will probably all depend on his opening mark but he could easily be good enough to contest pattern races in future and he is in the right hands to guide him through the most crucial part of his career.
June 5 – Epsom – Sallaal – 82
The market centred around Roger Varian’s gelding and Respond in this valuable and competitive handicap but in the end, there was only one who counted. To be fair, Respond probably didn’t do a great deal wrong in second, but he simply had no answer to the turn of foot displayed by the winner inside the final two furlongs and his winning margin of six lengths in no way flatters him. All along, the son of Frankel has looked a Group horse in the making and on the evidence of this display, those thoughts are ready to come to fruition.
June 5 – Epsom – Thundering On – 82
Probably not the greatest field assembled for the fillies classic but it produced a winner of rare quality and one who should take even higher rank as the season progresses. The way Joseph O’Brien’s filly cruised her way to the head of affairs without batting an eyelid was impressive to say the least and she only needed to be nudged out to pull clear of her nearest pursuer. One of the only few horses during the two day fixture to come from the back of the field to win, her performance, therefore, deserves upgrading and she looks the dominant force in this division by some margin. As for the winner-up, Legacy Link, she can count her unlucky to bump into a horse of the winner’s class and the fact she pulled well clear of the rest tells its own story.
June 6 – Chepstow – Angels Lane – 74
A notable success from a stable no renown for producing first time out juvenile winners and, as a result, probably one to keep on side. Showing bright speed throughout, Henry Candy’s filly stayed on nicely down the middle of the track to eased into the lead at the furlong pole and she showed a willing attitude to maintain her advantage all the way to the line. The fact she managed to buck the trend and score away from the favoured stands side rail also points towards this effort being an upgradable one and she could be one to gain black type future down the line. Promising.
June 6 – Epsom – Bay City Roller – 84
A race turned on its head due to the late change in conditions and the rain came just in time for George Scott’s inmate to finally shine on the big stage. True, the ground might have scuppered quite a few of the fancied horses but it would be dangerous to underestimate the performance by the son of New Bay and it wasn’t as if this result came totally from left field. His victory in Munich towards the backend of last season was a signal that he belonged on the biggest stage and his effort in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh previously on ground quicker than ideal was another notable achievement. The only surprise was he was allowed to be chalked up as a 20-1 outsider in the first place and he readily belied those odds with a display of the highest quality. in short, not many horses can cope with testing conditions as well as this super-tough four-year-old and if the ground turned up soft on Arc day, he would surely be one of the main players.
June 6 – Epsom – Ten Bob Tony – 80
Not the fastest overall figure on the card, but the final three furlong split of 33.9 really bolters this performance by Ed Walker’s gelding. Disappointing at Haydock previously, the rain which had fallen in the build up to the race was a welcome relief and with the front two in the market failing to shine, he took full advantage with a career high display. Clearly well suited by the specialist trip of seven furlongs, he will remain dangerous in races of this nature when conditions fall in his favour.
June 6 – Epsom – Christmas Day – 83
A tricky looking renewal of the big colts classic on paper beforehand and the weather meant there were even more complexities added into the mix. However, the overriding feeling was this year’s Derby was all about track position rather than any other forces at play and whether the winner will prove to be the pick of the bunch is open to question. Given the amount of ground the likes of Maltese Cross and, in particular, James J Braddack made up, there is an argument to be made either one of the pair may have won if they would have been ridden closer to the pace and the proximity of maiden, Alderman, also casts a doubt of the overall form. As for the decision to deem Benvenuto Cellini a non-runner, it was one that truly beggared belief and hopefully there will be a rule change (again) to prevent this farcical turn of events happening again. Someone needs to grow a pair.