HAYLEY Turner’s reasons for retiring at 32 are perfectly understandable, but there may be a few more memories to take with her at the end of the season.
Against the odds, Lady Cecil’s Shaden, beaten at Bath last time, led and came again to deny Joe Murphy’s Only Mine by a head in the fillies’ Group 3 William Hill Firth of Clyde Stakes over six furlongs.
Bath form seldom translates well elsewhere but Shaden, a daughter of Kodiac, dictated things this time and went in at 16/1. This was not the classiest Group 3 of the campaign but she has all-important blacktype now.
“It was plan B, really,” Turner said. “I was going to drop in but she pinged the gates. She knuckled down and was very game.”
With Lady Cecil also due to retire it was a poignant moment and one readily embraced by the huge Scottish crowd. The latest news is that her assistant George Scott will set up next year with at least 15 horses, including this one.
Murphy will surely find more races for Only Mine, who may be best at six furlongs.
SCOTTISH IN SCOTLAND
Unwilling to settle at Deauville, Andrew Balding’s Scottish co-operated with David Probert this time and led some way out before keeping on willingly to hold 6/5 favourite Mutakayyef in the Listed William Hill Doonside Cup over 10 furlongs.
Scoring on Scottish soil, the 9/2 winner is trained by an Englishman and was ridden by a Welshman but is owned by Mrs Fitri Hay, wife of Scotsman Jim. Still only three, the son of Teofilo has the right attitude when he settles and is worth a try at Group 3 level.