York Thursday

Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks (Group 1)

WARM Heart (Aidan O’Brien/James Doyle) had to dig deep, but the 9/1 chance was very game in getting the better of Free Wind (John and Thady Gosden/Frankie Dettori) in a stirring finish of the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks on Thursday.

The winner was reversing Irish Oaks form with favourite and stablemate Savethelastdance, who finished third here, a further two and a quarter lengths away having made the running under Ryan Moore. It was a one, two, three for daughters of Galileo.

Warm Heart probably found softer ground against her at the Curragh having beaten Bluestocking with more ease in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot than Savethelastdance did in the Irish Oaks.

She seemed to relish the return to a faster surface here, tracking the leaders on the outer before moving up powerfully to challenge at the two-furlong pole.

At that point, the field was closely grouped, and Frankie Dettori on Free Wind was in the slipstream of the winner, but in need of a gap to appear.

Strong challenge

As Warm Heart asserted from her stable-companion, Dettori belatedly found room on the outside and launched a strong challenge on Free Wind that looked like it might prevail, but Warm Heart responded when joined, and found enough to fend off the challenge.

With Bluestocking fourth, this form makes plenty of sense, and Warm Heart looks a most progressive filly granted fast ground, with plenty more to aim at in the coming months, with Aidan O’Brien unsurprisingly looking at the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in November, while also suggesting that she could stay in training next year.

“She’s a very good filly who won very well in Ascot,” said the trainer. “She loves fast ground and she’s a very slick filly. I think she’s probably made for the Filly And Mare Turf. She has a nice size to her and she’s strong and has tactical speed as well.

“She could go straight there, or she could run on Irish Champions Weekend or Arc weekend, but she likes nice ground and maybe we shouldn’t overface her. She’s progressing from run to run.”

Of Savethelastdance, he added: “Ryan wanted an even pace for his filly as she stays well. When the ground gets slow it helps her as it makes it tougher for the others, but she still ran a great race.

“We were worried about the ground for her today. She always runs her race, but she’s better on soft ground. Whereas most horses struggle, she improves.

“She definitely could be an Arc filly, as on softish ground she grows another leg. She has the choice of the St Leger or the Arc. If she ran in the St Leger the Arc comes up two weeks after that, so it’s a little bit tight and she’d probably have to do one or the other.”

WITH just over a furlong to run in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes, there were seven fillies stretched across the track with barely a length between them.

The 2/1 favourite, Relief Rally (William Haggas/Tom Marquand) was last of that group and off the bridle, but living up to her name, she rallied strongly when switched to the stands’ rail and gave connections and those who backed her into favouritism ample relief with a strong late run to snatch the spoils by a length from Cherry Blossom (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore), who got the best of a bunch finish for second, a head in from of Symbology (Clive Cox/Rossa Ryan).

Dorothy Lawrence made the early running and the 66/1 shot really set the race up by refusing to lie down when challenged on both sides, and she rallied gamely to be involved in the photo for places.

Almost all of the field held some chance in the final stages, and while the form is arguably not outstanding, there were no hard-luck stories, and it ought to prove a reliable barometer of merit.

“I think she’s a pure two-year-old,” said Haggas after the race. “Besharah won this race, and she didn’t go on. I think it’s really hard, especially when they are small, we don’t want to get wrapped up in them being a fantastic three-year-old, this may well be her year in which case we want to capitalise.

“She’s pretty good and she’s good in her head, although she dances a bit in the paddock, she’s easy to train. Whether we have one before her last run, I don’t know. If we do it will be the Flying Childers with a Group 2 penalty, that’s 50-50; then it will be the Cheveley Park or the Prix de l’Abbaye.”

HAGGAS and Marquand doubled up on the day when Sea Theme landed the Listed Galtres Stakes, coming out best in a finish of heads with One Evening and Tregony. The winner could go to the Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster next month according to her trainer.

Dragon Leader was a mightily impressive winner of the Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes for Clive Cox and Ryan Moore.

The son of El Kabeir was making it three successes from as many runs after a pair of novice wins at Salisbury, and he looked a group horse in beating a big field by upwards of four and a half lengths.

He could step up into pattern company immediately, but he’s also entered for the Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes at Doncaster next month, which will likely tempt connections as he’s eligible to run under a very light weight in that contest.

Queally wins

It’s over 10 years since Tom Queally steered Frankel to arguably his most impressive win in the International Stakes here, and the jockey’s fortunes have waned in the interim, but he was smiling broadly after Ropey Guest (George Margarson) landed a 40/1 surprise in the Clipper Handicap.

Third in the Acomb Stakes here as a juvenile, Ropey Guest – aka ‘Chubby’ - has finished runner-up in the Bunbury Cup for the last two seasons and was gaining due reward for a number of placed efforts in big handicaps.