Newmarket Friday

THE feature race on Friday at Newmarket was the Group 2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Rockfel Stakes, and victory – for the fourth time in the race – went to Aidan O’Brien, with Bubbling (Ryan Moore) finding plenty off the bridle to get the better of Serving With Style (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee) and Duty First (Archie Watson/Hollie Doyle) by two and a quarter lengths and two and a half lengths having briefly looked in trouble two furlongs out.

The daughter of No Nay Never was sent off favourite at 11/8 and although seemingly all out at halfway, found her stamina kicking in late as she overhauled a pair who had raced in the vanguard throughout.

A full-sister to Park Stakes winner Wichita, Bubbling had proved a disappointment in the Ingabelle Stakes at Leopardstown on her previous start but built at the second time of asking on the promise of a wide-margin Galway maiden win, looking very much like a mile will bring about further improvement.

She’s entered in the Fillies’ Mile here next month, one of 16 for her stable in the Group 1 contest.

It should be noted that the winner ended up on the far rail here with the runners originally racing up the centre, in contrast to the opening contest.

Moore treble

The going at Newmarket was changed to soft from heavy after the Listed Rosemary Stakes which opened Friday’s card.

That race saw the field tack over to the stands rail, with Spiritual making the running. That filly was headed by Sirona (David Menuisier/Ryan Moore) with just over a furlong to run, and despite lugging a little to her right in the closing stages, the daughter of Soldier Hollow held off the renewed effort of Fair Point (Ralph Beckett/Rob Hornby) to win by a neck.

Sirona was returned the 6/4 favourite in a depleted field of five and while she may be finished for the season, David Menuisier confirmed that Jayne McGivern’s filly will stay in training next season.

THE Group 2 Joel Stakes saw only four go to post and victory went to Dylan Cunha’s progressive Prague, who did things the hard way, rearing slightly as the stalls opened and then taking a strong hold under Danny Tudhope, forcing the rider to switch off heels and race away from the stands rail.

Despite those complications, the four-year-old ran on strongly to beat Poker Face (Simon and Ed Crisford/James Doyle) by a gaping three and three quarter lengths to produce a career-best performance at odds of 100/30.

Bought unraced from Ballydoyle for just 10,000gns, the son of Galileo and Princess Margaret Stakes winner Princess Noor looks an absolute bargain for owner Amedeo Dal Pos, a former amateur rider and trainer from Italy who relocated to Britain a decade ago.

Time Lock (Harry Charlton/Ryan Moore) has been disappointing since bolting up in the Group 3 Princess Royal Stakes 12 months ago but, aided by a tongue tie and despite of the much softer ground, she got back to winning ways to record back-to-back wins in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai-sponsored contest, again clearing right away in the final furlong to win by five lengths, rewarding the faithful at an SP of 13/8.

Second, having raced handily from the off, was Comic Book (Jessica Harrington/Shane Foley), half a length ahead of the front-running Place Of Safety (John and Thady Gosden/Kieran Shoemark).

Third in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes won by Giavellotto, Time Lock was in much calmer waters and was always travelling within herself, and Ryan Moore didn’t need to throw everything at her to win as she did. Retirement beckons now, although there is a possibility that she will run in the Hong Kong Vase in December.

Barry Mahon, Juddmonte racing manager, said: “The owners would be delighted whether we retire her now or give her one more roll of the dice. She’ll retire either way at the end of this year and she’s a nice broodmare prospect.”

Newmarket Thursday

HEAVY rain on Wednesday and Thursday saw the going change to heavy for the first day of the Cambridgeshire meeting and the first two days were marred by a raft on non-runners, with almost half the declared runners on Friday being withdrawn.

That made for less competitive racing than this meeting tends to offer, but there were still some noteworthy performances. The British Champions Long Distance Cup beckons for the Tom Clover-trained Al Nayyir, after the six-year-old turned Thursday’s Listed Rose Bowl Stakes into a procession, powering clear in the closing stages to beat Harbour Wind (Dermot Weld/Chris Hayes) and Samui (Gordon Elliott/Jamie Spencer) by eight lengths and four and a half lengths, justifying favouritism at an SP of 11/8.

Beaten just a short-head by Vauban in the Lonsdale Cup on his debut for Clover, Al Nayyir, who had finished second in the Dubai Gold Cup when in the care of Georges Doleuze, built on that promise despite racing on the softest ground he’s ever encountered, and that will encourage connections with the big Group 2 at Ascot likely to be run in similar conditions.

“He’s a very exciting stayer and I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the way Al Nayyir did it,” said Clover. “We’ve got him in on Champions Day and that would be the logical next step, but I’d love to avoid Kyprios if we could.”

JUST like his namesake from the movie Blazing Saddles, The Waco Kid (Hugo Palmer) was quick to make his move in the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes, with Oisin Murphy making an immediate beeline for the stands’ rail and making all the running on the 13/2 shot.

Diego Ventura (Hamad Al Jehani/James Doyle) and market leader Monumental (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) moved up to challenge the leader inside the final quarter mile, but Murphy had judged the pace to a nicety and his mount quickened again in the closing stages to secure a two and a quarter-length win over the former, with the favourite another length and a quarter back in third.

Speaking to ITV Racing after the contest, the winning trainer was in rueful mood despite this impressive success. “The Waco Kid did have a Dewhurst entry,” explained Palmer. “But I after he was only third at listed level, I took him out of the Dewhurst and the Lagardere.”