3 minute read

The progressive Bold Act brought up a hat-trick as he led home a Charlie Appleby one-two in the Federation Of Bloodstock Agents Nursery Handicap at Newmarket.

Second to stablemate Highbank on debut, the son of New Approach has not put a foot wrong since and got the job done with minimal fuss in this one-mile event on the Rowley Mile.

William Buick was willing to bide his time on the 4-9 favourite as his fellow Moulton Paddocks inmate One Nation set the fractions with Adam Kirby aboard.

But there was only one victor once Buick sent Bold Act forward to win his race and set up a possible tilt at the Zetland Stakes back here next month.

"He's a horse that is progressing nicely and we will see what William has to say," said Appleby.

"Whether we put him away for the year, or something like the Zetland might fall into his category."

"He's a horse that is progressing and when stepping up will progress further. He is a horse we'll let winter here and the Zetland could be a nice race to look at."

Appleby was at the double when Dhahbi (9-2) defied top-weight to claim the Weatherbys Stallion Book Handicap.

Always held in high regard, the four-year-old thrived for a first attempt at a mile and a half and could have booked himself a slot on Appleby's Meydan team.

"He saw it out well there," said Appleby. "It was a good weight-carrying performance anyway.

"To be fair to this horse, we always felt stepping up in trip would be his forte, but quite early on in his career he was really keen so we held back on sending him up in trip as we felt he would be too keen.

!He's settling better now and doing so has allowed us to step him up in trip and he's duly obliged.

"He's been frustrating because he was a horse I held in high regard as a two-year-old. I always tend to look beyond the price tag – there are plenty of horses that cost a lot of money.

"You have to look at the individual and in the spring of his three-year-old career he was a horse we were getting quite excited about. Unfortunately it never quite materialised.

"He's a handy horse to have around and as we start to look for that (Dubai) Carnival team, he might fall into that bracket. He could end up a nice Pattern horse out there."

However, Appleby was denied a hat-trick when the odds-on favourite Yantarni was foiled by Harry and Roger Charlton's Askhy (8-1), who regained the winning thread following some smart fine efforts on the July course this summer.

Charlie and Mark Johnston's Tenerife Sunshine showed plenty of improvement to take the opening Turners British EBF Maiden Stakes.

Only eighth of nine at Goodwood on debut, he put his experience to great use to nail James Ferguson's likeable debutant Like A Tiger in the closing stages.

This one-mile maiden has been won by some smart operators over the years and Mark Johnston envisages the 5-1 winner, whose dam was Listed-placed over 12 furlongs and a half-sister to 2000 Guineas winner Golan, to be campaigning over further next season.

"He was one that needs time and so we weren't surprised he needed his run first time out and I thought he might have needed another one," he said.

"He got loose one or two times in the pre-parade ring, so he is very much a big baby. He's a next year horse really.

"Andrea (Atzeni) said he's a next year horse and I thought he gave him a beautiful ride – he felt he was in top gear all the way, but there was plenty left. Typically for here he was starting to lose it a wee bit down the dip, but kept finding up the hill.

"We'll go back and think about it now. Next year he's a mile-and-a-half horse looking at him."

Michael Dods won the British Stallion Studs EBF Premier Fillies' Handicap 12 months ago with Gale Force Maya and the Darlington handler made a successful raid once again with Azure Blue, who obliged favourite-backers at 2-1.