Thursday

Bet365 Craven Stakes (Group 2)

THE Group 2 Craven Stakes is the most significant British trial for the 2000 Guineas, but while the prize stayed at home thanks to the victory of Richard Hannon’s Haatem (Sean Levey), it was easy to imagine Aidan O’Brien smiling broadly at the result.

Haatem, a son of INS stallion Phoenix Of Spain, tracked early leader Cambridge in the Craven before being produced to lead entering the dip, and he scampered into a decisive lead which he extended to the line, with three and a half lengths between him and runner-up Eben Shaddad (John and Thady Gosden/Kieran Shoemark) with Sons And Lovers (Jane Chapple-Hyam/Luke Morris) third, beaten a total of five and three-quarter lengths.

Haatem was sent off at 17/2 here having finished fifth to City Of Troy in the Dewhurst in the autumn, but he showed his rival a clean pair of heels here to demonstrate how hot that Dewhurst was.

The Vintage Stakes winner also chased home the O’Brien superstar in the Superlative Stakes here last summer, while he was overturning Dewhurst form with the runner-up, who was third in that contest.

Available at 100/1 before this race, Haatem has been cut to around 20/1 for the 2000 Guineas, while disappointing efforts from Andre Fabre’s favourite Alcantor and Charlie Appleby’s Native Approach have seen them knocked out of the classic picture.

“The way he did it has surprised me,” said Hannon. “But you can’t say that was a fluke. He’s obviously improved a lot physically – he’s a big, strong, impressive horse,” said Hannon. “He’s a good horse and he’s just won a Craven by three and a half lengths. He won a Vintage Stakes with the subsequent Champagne Stakes winner behind him.”

Hannon was loth to compare Haatem directly with the stable’s big Guineas fancy Rosallion, but Sean Levey was in no doubt in his mind.

“I wasn’t expecting that sort of run today,” said the winning jockey, who is also the regular rider of Rosallion. “He’s obviously been hiding a bit from me at home. I thought he wanted a mile and a quarter, but I think he has done that really well and he’s going to show his hand in the Guineas now. Rosallion is a good horse, and it gives you a bit of confidence to see this lad win the way he did. I hope I’m right that he [Rosallion] is exceptional.”

Abernant Stakes

There was a 33/1 shock in the Group 3 Abernant Stakes as Washington Heights (Kevin Ryan/Tom Eaves) beat Mill Stream (Jane Chapple-Hyam/David Egan) by three-quarters of a length having made all the running.

Spycatcher (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee) was just denied in a photo for second and shaped well on ground faster than ideal on his seasonal return.

The winner was certainly helped by the tailwind which benefitted front-runners at this meeting, but his win wasn’t a complete shock as he had traded blows with the runner-up in good handicaps last year before the pair progressed into blacktype races, with Washington Heights winning a listed contest at Bro Park in Sweden on his final three-year-old outing.

“He’s a powerful sprinting type who looks to have strengthened again this year and isn’t one to dismiss lightly at this level given his rate of progress.

“Washington Heights has done well over the winter, and we were really looking forward to this year,” said syndicate manager Cosmo Charlton.

“He was impressive when he won in Sweden last year and we were hoping he’d outrun his odds today.

“Tom has given him a great ride from the front and got the job done. He’s in the Duke of York and Greenlands in Ireland and we could look at Royal Ascot further down the line.”

Crystal gives Fahey third success

Wednesday

PRETTY Crystal (Richard Fahey/Oisin Orr) sprung an 18/1 surprise in Wednesday’s Group 3 Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes, the highlight of day two of the bet365 Craven Meeting at Newmarket.

The daughter of Dubawi isn’t entered in the 1000 Guineas and put a dent in the Guineas prospects of the well-touted Dance Sequence (Charlie Appleby/William Buick), beating the odds-on favourite by a neck, with outsider Kathmandu (Brian Meehan/Sean Levey) two lengths back in third.

Pretty Crystal tracked Kathmandu before pouncing a furlong from home, and she hung on grimly to hold the challenge of Dance Sequence in game fashion. The first three were nicely clear. This was Fahey’s third win in the race after Barefoot Lady (2011) and Sandiva (2014).

“It was a good, hardy and tough performance,” said Fahey. “She arrived here fit and well and we were pleased with her. She had to step up to win today and she has done. She has stuck her head down and won. We are delighted.

“We were expecting a good performance today and although I thought she might struggle to beat the favourite I thought she had a good each-way chance.

“We didn’t put her in the Guineas as we ran her in pattern company last year and she was found wanting. We will speak to Sheikh Rashid and his team to talk about supplementing her for the Guineas and work our way from there.”

Earl of Sefton

The well-backed Ottoman Fleet (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) displaced Embesto as favourite for the Group 3 Earl of Sefton Stakes just before the off, and the 7/4 chance didn’t give backers too many worries as he gained a second win in the mile and one furlong contest under a thoroughly professional ride by Buick.

The five-year-old gelding took a bit of a grip behind the modest pace set by Regal Reality, but still settled better than Embesto and Buick never looked in trouble, easing his mount out to challenge entering the dip and quickening decisively a furlong out to put the race to bed.

Astro King (Daniel and Clare Kubler/Richard Kingscote) battled on well having been prominent throughout, and finished second, beaten a length by the winner, but holding Hi Royal (Kevin Ryan/Neil Callan) for the minor honours by a head.

Winning trainer Charlie Appleby said: “He just took a bit of a tug, but I thought there was going to be more pace on to be honest.

“He’s been a very consistent horse and has run well in Dubai.

“Kieren Fallon rides him at home and said he is as well as I’ve ever felt him, so we came knowing that he was in good order, and we know the track suits him.

“Now he has a penalty it makes him harder to place and we have a team in America, so there is a possibility he could go out there and join them.”

Feilden Stakes

The Listed Feilden Stakes has a mixed recent record but has been won by Prix du Jockey Club hero Intello and Derby winner Golden Horn in the recent past, and this year produced quite an impressive winner in the shape of Brian Meehan’s Jayarebe (Sean Levey).

The 11/1 chance was well enough regarded as a juvenile to run in the Group 1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardere on just his second start, and he justified that opinion at the second time of asking with a taking three and a quarter-length win over Whip Cracker (Richard Hughes/Jim Crowley).

“Jayarebe likes it here having won both his races, but we’ll have to speak to the owner about where he goes next as he doesn’t hold any entries,” said the winning handler.

“He saw it out well today and we could look at supplementing him for the French Derby as a mile and a quarter will suit him well.

“He ran well over seven furlongs in France at the end of last year and if the race had been a mile I think he would nearly have won.”