3 minute read
Brocklesby winner set for Newbury before Royal Ascot bid.
On a grey, overcast Royal Ascot Trials Day, Chipotle ended a barren spell for trainer Eve Johnson Houghton when landing the four-runner Royal Ascot Two-Year-Old Trial Stakes in the hands of Charles Bishop.
The Havana Gold colt, sent off the 6-5 second-favourite, had previously won the Brocklesby stakes at Doncaster, just over a calendar month ago.
He remained unbeaten after two starts with a thoroughly professional display in the five-furlong event, travelling smoothly as The Gatekeeper (11-10 favourite), who had made much of the running from the outset, tired inside the last half-furlong. Bishop's mount drew a length clear at the line.
It was a mixture of joy and relief for Johnson Houghton, who admitted: "I haven't had a winner since the Brocklesby, so it is what you'd call a long time between drinks.
"It is a great relief. I've been unable to win an argument in an empty room – and I'm pretty good at arguing. It has not been great.
"But this will put a smile on a few faces. He is a professional little horse. He's very tough and does it all naturally and just really enjoys it.
"He travelled smoothly and I'm sure he will have learned a lot from this. I don't know how good the second is, but I'm sure Mark Johnston has got dozens better at home, but he has come and done what he has had to do and that is all we can ask."
Johnson Houghton is now looking ahead to Newbury for Chipotle's next target and is likely to tackle the big guns at Royal Ascot in June thereafter.
She added: "I think he'll get six furlongs, but he is sharp enough for five and I think we'll stay at five probably. He is in the Super Sprint and he'll have a very low weight in that, so that will probably be our mid-term target.
"We'll look at the Royal meeting. The Windsor Castle is more likely than the Norfolk. The Wesley Ward and Aidan O'Brien big guns haven't come out yet, so I can come here and do that."
If you want to get in a fight with Creative Flair, you had better bring your A-game, as the genuine Godolphin filly stuck to her guns to draw clear of her five rivals in the Naas Racecourse Royal Ascot Trails Day British EBF Fillies' Conditions Stakes.
The Charlie Appleby-trained daughter of Dubawi has stamina in her pedigree and had opened her account on her second run in a Sandown maiden over seven furlongs last August.
Upped to a mile for her seasonal bow, she was always to the fore, William Buick tracking the early pace set by the keen Delta Bay, and when that one tamely dropped away two and a half furlongs out, Creative Flair (9-4 favourite) was left with plenty of daylight before the winning post.
To her credit, she showed plenty of courage and repelled the late thrust of Auria and stablemate Danilova to score by a length and a half.
Buick said: "She did that very professionally. She did nothing wrong last year and has been doing some nice homework. But as with all of them, she is going to come on for the run today.
"She is a little street fighter, you know. She is not the biggest, but she is a really gritty little filly. Frankie's mount dropped away early in the straight and she ended up being in front a long way out, much earlier than I hoped, but she didn't mind it – she would race against herself, she is so genuine.
"I don't know about targets, but I think she will stay at a mile for now. She is quite racy, but I would say we'll get today out of the way and see what happens."
Oh This Is Us caused a 66-1 shock in the Charlie Waller Trust Paradise Stakes, on the 70th start of his career.
Richard Hannon's eight-year-old continued the productive spell Tom Marquand has had since his return from his spell in Australia.
The race was billed as a trial for the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot and looked the ideal stage for John and Thady Gosden's Lincoln winner Haqeeqey to prove he was good enough to bridge the gaps from handicaps.
Settled in the rear by Jim Crowley as Marie's Diamond and Muraad set stiff early fractions, he was moved into a challenging position with two furlongs to run.
At one stage all eight runners were spread out across the track in a line and it was anybody's race, with Crowley still looking to hold the aces, along with Andrea Atzeni on Prince Eiji.
However, Haqeeqy's run began to flatten out and he was hanging slightly as Prince Eiji took control, only for Oh This Is Us to start making ground.
It became a question of whether Marquand would get his mount in front in time such was the progress that he was making, and luckily enough for any punters on at the fancy prices, Oh This Is Us got home by a head with Sir Busker in third.
Marquand said: "It is incredible. It feels like every year since I've been riding he has been coming out and winning big ones. He has been an incredible flagship – not at the top level, but to find horses like that is incredible.
"He has an exceptional turn of foot and loves coming through horses. And he is hardy. He has always been that way. When I first won on him at Goodwood he was like that – he was dropped in and came through them. Every race I've won with him since has been exactly the same.
"We've had a bit of time to figure him out. He seems to love racing round a bend, but at Ascot, typically, if you can save that energy, you can finish off and he's done just that today."
