Ascot Saturday

THE main event of the weekend in terms of media coverage, was the Shergar Cup at Ascot where Hayley Turner was leading rider as her Ladies team won the main competition.

The team was comprised of Turner, Marie Vélon and Jo Mason and came out on top in the team contest ahead of jockeys representing Europe, the Rest of the World and Great Britain & Ireland.

The Shergar Cup has fallen kindly for Turner and the Ladies, with the team winning the overall competition four times since 2018.

The Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle, given to the leading rider over the six races, went to Turner for the third time after she won on Ranch Hand in the Stayers’ and in the concluding Mile aboard New Image.

“I think it helps that the trainers don’t get to choose if I ride their horses or not,” said Turner, with tongue firmly in cheek.

“I do end up with better rides than what I’d usually get, and it just goes to show it’s the animals that get you there and not just the jockeys.”

Another woman celebrating was Jessica Harrington, who has her team in rare form, and saddled Going Remote (Bauyrzhan Murzabayev) to win the Classic for three-year-olds over one and a half miles. The 12/1 shot bounced back to form with blinkers left off and seemed to appreciate the faster ground at Ascot having got bogged down on softer ground at Galway.

Newmarket Saturday

THE only pattern race at Newmarket last weekend was the Group 3 Jenningsbet Sweet Solera Stakes, which was won, despite residual greenness, by the exciting Lake Victoria (Aidan O’Brien/Sean Levey).

She made all the running to win by two lengths from the solid yardstick Mountain Breeze (Charlie Appleby/Pat Dobbs), who had finished second in the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes on her previous outing; third, a further length behind was Elsie’s Ruan (Gemma Tutty/Rab Havlin).

The winner was a well-backed 11/8 favourite having won a seven-furlong Curragh maiden on her racecourse bow in June.

Lake Victoria, a daughter of Frankel out of Commonwealth Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup winner Quiet Reflection, is clearly a filly of some ability to have won a race of this nature on just her second start, still looking inexperienced as she ran around briefly when asked to put the race to bed a furlong out, but it was encouraging how quickly she corrected herself, and she has the looks to go with her top-notch pedigree.

Levey, riding the filly for the first time with Ryan Moore on duty at the Curragh where O’Brien, said: “Lake Victoria is not short of speed, but she hit the line strong there today.

“I think she has a pedigree to match all of the winners the stable has had today.

“I’ve not won in these Michael Tabor silks for a long time so it’s nice to get back in the groove.”

Haydock Saturday

THE Group 3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes cut up to five runners on fast ground at Haydock, and the race went to 8/11 favourite Anmaat (Owen Burrows/Jim Crowley), who didn’t need to be at his best to beat Certain Lad (Jack Channon/George Bass) to gain his second win in the contest.

The six-year-old, subsequently successful in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp last May, hadn’t been seen since that contest, but defied the long absence with a comfortable if unspectacular success.

“He needed a run last year to hit peak form,” said Burrows. “So, fingers crossed he comes out of this okay.

“He’s in the Irish Champion but we’ll let the dust settle and have a chat with Sheikha Hissa, Richard Hills and Angus Gold and go from there. It was a complex foot injury, and all the team has done a great job to get him back.”

Choisya on top

The Listed Dick Hern Stakes saw a field of nine go to post over the extended mile, and the contest went to 14/1 shot Choisya (Simon and Ed Crisford/Harry Davies), who score by a length and a half from warm favourite Indelible (Ralph Beckett/Hector Crouch), with late interference between winner and second making a difference only to the winning margin.

THERE were three Irish-trained winners on Saturday, with the two mentioned above joined by Byzantine Empress (Kevin Coleman), who landed a seven-furlong handicap at Haydock on Saturday, while other handicap victories came via Gregorina (Ado McGuinness) at Hamilton on Tuesday and Our Dagger (Joe Conlon) at Ffos Las on Wednesday.