News dal mondo ippico, sabato 12 luglio 2014. Farraaj the toast of York with John Smith’s win (ENG) // GR 1 MERCURY SPRINT: FLY BY NIGHT LIGHTS UP CLAIRWOOD (SAF) // Slade Power Convincing July Cup Victor (ENG-USA)

 

FARRAAJ

Farraaj: the 6-1 shot ran out a convincing winner

 PICTURE: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Farraaj the toast of York with John Smith’s win

 BY LEWIS PORTEOUS3:04PM 12 JUL 2014 

Report: York, Saturday

55th John Smith´s Cup (Heritage Handicap) 1m2f, 3yo+

JOCKEY Andrea Atzeni tasted John Smith’s Cup success for the second year running as former Group 3 winner Farraaj ran out a convincing winner of one of the most famous midsummer handicaps in the Flat calendar.

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The Roger Varian-trained runner was always handily placed under Atzeni, before running on strongly to master brave front-runner Zain Eagle in the final furlong, with 4-1 favourite Bold Sniper back in third.

It paid to be up with the pace as Tom Eaves on Zain Eagle got the fractions almost spot on as he dictated matters from the front.

Although appearing to be going a solid gallop, Zain Eagle was able to kick off his own pace and had his rivals in trouble as he went for home before the two-furlong marker.

Farraaj, who handled the contours of Epsom so well to land another lucrative handicap on his last start, stuck like a limpet to the rail in second before Atzeni asked him to peg back the leader.

It took the best part of a furlong for Farraaj to engage top gear but it always looked like he was going to get on top and that proved the case for the 6-1 shot.

“It is a great race to win,” said Atzeni. “He is a lovely horse. I was drawn wide but jumped well and got a lovely position. I wanted to get cover straight away and when I got to the first bend he dropped his head. The other key to him is the ground – he has to have fast ground.”

Bold Sniper, carrying the colours of the Queen, tracked the pace in third but was unable to match the acceleration of Farraaj, plugging on to maintain third.

Last year’s Cambridgshire winner Educate fared best of those held up off the pace, finishing strongly to snatch fourth at 20-1, the same price as runner-up Zain Eagle.  

Of the runner-up, trainer Robert Cowell said: “He’s a lovely horse with a lot of gears. We thought today from a wide draw we would go forward. We might drop him in grade and go for a 0-95 but he’s a horse with a nice race in him.”

Tarikhi, the mount of Kieren Fallon who finished unplaced, collapsed after the line having ruptured a blood vessel near his heart and sadly died as a result. Fallon suffered a hand injury from the fall and was stood down for the remainder of the day.

fonte: RacingPost

 

Posted 2014-07-12 17:04:38  
GR 1 MERCURY SPRINT: FLY BY NIGHT LIGHTS UP CLAIRWOOD

 Fly By a night caused an minor upset in the Mercury Sprint at Clairwood on Saturday as the flying filly found a gap at the perfect time down the outside running rail, to motor home in the final Grade 1 at the garden course.

The Mike Bass trained Jet Master four to year old was backed in from 10/1 into 9/2.  Well ridden by ace jockey Anthony Delpech she beat home a fast finishing Copper Parade and Showmetheway.

WINNER: FLY BY NIGHT 4bF Jet Master – Fly The Wind by Model Man.
BRED BY: Patricia Devine Investments (PTY) Ltd. OWNED BY: Messrs M J Jooste, Bryn Ressell and N M Shirtliff.

 

fonte: SAHRacing

 

Slade Power Convincing July Cup Victor

 
Slade Power Convincing July Cup Victor
Photo: Trevor Jones

Slade Power comes home strong to take the Darley July Cup.

Slade Power solidified his spot as Europe’s top-ranking sprinter this season when scoring a clear win in the Darley July Cup (Eng-I) July 12 at Newmarket.

Tracking on the far side of the course, the son of Dutch Art asserted himself in the final furlong by 1 1/2 lengths for his second group I triumph in a row.Tropics, a 66-1 longshot, was up in time for a creditable second, with Gregorian a short head back in third, just a neck in front of U.S.-based Undrafted in fourth.

Slade Power covered six furlongs as the 7-4 favorite in 1:12.40 under Wayne Lordan on turf rated soft. Trained by Eddie Lynam, he came into the July Cup having prevailed after a stewards’ inquiry following his 1 1/2- length over Due Diligence in the June 21 Diamond Jubilee (Eng-I) at Royal Ascot. That win was his first at the highest level.

His rematch with Due Diligence failed to materialize when that rival was scratched from the July Cup due to the less than ideal course conditions. Also scratched were Slade Power’s stablemate, two-time King’s Stand Stakes (Eng-I) victor Sole Power, and Fountain of Youth.

The 13-horse field for the July Cup split into two groups after Christophe Soumillon moved Spanish sprinter Noozhoh Canariasacross the track after starting from post 11. Slade Power, in the 13 hole, and Tropics in post 16, followed the move, while Gregorian stayed with a six-horse group to race on the stands side as did trainer Wesley Ward’s Undrafted.

Noozhoh Canarias led his group until a furlong out when Slade Power took charge and stayed on for the win. Tropics was always within striking distance with Robert Winston but could only chase in vain as Slade Power secured the victory.

“Today he has proved he is the best sprinter in Europe and we want to prove he is the best in the world,” Lynam told England’s Press Association. “It was probably a muddling messy sort of race today but I have always spoken of him very highly. I’m looking forward to running him in Australia in his last race.”

Slade Power was recently acquired by Darley to stand as stallion next year at Kildangan Stud in Ireland. Plans call for him to complete his racing career in the Aus$1 million VRC Sprint Classic (Aus-I) Nov. 8 at Flemington.

Five-year-old Slade Power, a homebred of David and Sabena Power, is from first crop of Dutch Art and out of the winning Key of Luck mare Girl Power. The Irish-bred has a 10-3-2 record from 19 career starts that also includes a win in the 2013 QIPCO British Champions Sprint (Eng-II) at Ascot after a runner-up finish in the Betfred Sprint Cup (Eng-I) at Haydock.

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