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Varian colt looks to have big future

The exciting Molatham  played a starring role in a 616-1 four-timer for jockey Jim Crowley at Doncaster on Friday.

Having ridden a double at the track from just two rides on Thursday, Crowley steered each of his four mounts on day three of the Leger meeting to victory to give him six straight winners.

Next up for the 2016 champion jockey is Elarqam in the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday.

"It's been marvellous. I hope it will keep going for another couple of days," said Crowley.

The undoubted highlight of the rider's tremendous afternoon was his triumph aboard Molatham, who enhanced his reputation with an assured display in the Weatherbys Global Stallions App Flying Scotsman Stakes.

The seven-furlong contest was won by the one and only Frankel in 2010 and has thrown up smart winners since then, too – with subsequent Guineas runner-up Tip Two Win scoring in 2017 and Royal Ascot victor Sangarius doing the business 12 months ago.

Having pushed the exciting Mums Tipple close on his racecourse debut at Ascot in July, the Roger Varian-trained Molatham went one better in the usually-informative Convivial Maiden at York last month – and was a well-backed even-money favourite stepping up to Listed class.

The son of 2000 Guineas hero Night Of Thunder travelled strongly for much of the way and picked up well at the business end to beat Aidan O'Brien's Wichita by half a length.

Varian said: "I was impressed. I think it will work out a tidy race. The second could be anything and the third (Berlin Tango) gave it a solid look.

"I loved the way he travelled through the race. He's a very professional horse. He's still an immature horse physically, but I can see him getting better week on week.

"I think he's a very nice horse for the future. There wouldn't be many better horses you'd look at. He has a lovely mind and he's exciting."

He added of plans: "He's in the Dewhurst. I don't know where he's going to go or whether we have one or two more races, but we'll see."

Crowley had got his afternoon off to a great start aboard the Stuart Williams-trained Breathtaking Look (20-1) in the Japan Racing Association Sceptre Stakes, while his third winner came through Raaeb (11-10 favourite) in the Gary Reid Memorial Irish EBF Maiden Stakes.

The Saeed bin Suroor-trained newcomer looks a smart prospect after neatly taking care of the more experienced Arabian Moon by a length and a quarter.

Crowley said: "He was a little bit green going down and in the race, as you would expect first time.

"I think there will be plenty to come from him. He's a proper horse.

"He was stuck out on the wing. I didn't have any cover. He travelled strongly, we went quite steady and it turned into a bit of a sprint.

"He always had them covered and a strongly-run race would have suited him better.

"He looks a man already and he's going to be a lovely horse."

Crowley completed his afternoon's work when getting Enjazaat (6-1), trained by Owen Burrows, up to collar Medahim by a neck in the Follow At WillHillRacing On Twitter Handicap.

Sleeping Lion came from last to first to claim top honours in the William Hill Mallard Handicap.

James Fanshawe's charge was a 4-1 shot in the hands of Jamie Spencer and was dropped out at the rear of the six-strong field for much of the extended one-mile-six-furlong contest.

Spencer coaxed his mount into a more prominent position entering the final two furlongs and was in front a furlong later.

Charles Kingsley briefly looked a threat late on, but Sleeping Lion found more once challenged and was ultimately well on top at the line – scoring a shade cosily by three-quarters of a length.

The disappointment of the race was Simon Crisford's hat-trick-seeking 2-1 favourite Saroog, who could finish only fifth.

Fanshawe said: "We were just getting a bit frustrated with him running in big handicaps. He didn't get in the Ebor, so we ran him in the two-mile race at York and he never got into it.

"Today with a smaller field and he was able to get a position. He likes to be held up, but he needs a bit of time to get rolling. He picked up in good time today.

"I'm not sure where we'll go with him. We'll see what the handicapper does. He's a really nice horse and he's shown it today."