3 minute read
Dascombe colt hits the jackpot at York.
Ever Given showed toughness and durability to win the valuable Goffs UK Premier Yearling Stakes at York.
Tom Dascombe's youngster was having his sixth run of a busy campaign which has also included a trip to Ireland, where he finished a creditable fourth to the promising Sacred Bridge – and that came just three days after he had won at Goodwood.
With almost £100,000 on offer to the winner, connections decided to chase more cash than go in search of black type and it paid off in spades.
Sent off the 3-1 favourite, Danny Tudhope chartered a path towards the favoured far side and it possibly made the difference.
Along with Atomic Lady and Wings Of War, who was drawn on the opposite side of the track in stall 16, the front three pulled nicely clear. But it was Ever Given who came out on top by a neck and a head, with over four lengths back to the fourth.
Dascombe said: "What a tough horse, I've been quite hard on him but he's improved with every run.
"He won at Goodwood and then we sent him to Ireland three days later and he ran a blinder there, too.
"He's come here and really toughed it out, Danny gave him a great ride – it all panned out. I'm just lucky to train him.
"I hate saying what we'll do just 10 minutes after a race so we'll have a chat and then choose, but he's a prize-money horse. He's in the Redcar race and we'll keep him for next season."
The Tim Easterby-trained Cruyff Turn clung on to victory in the fiercely-competitive Clipper Logistics Handicap.
A winner at Leicester and Redcar in June, the four-year-old could finish only seventh in his hat-trick bid at Haydock last month.
David Allan's mount was a 28-1 shot for his latest assignment, but dug deep to see off the persistent challenge of Magical Morning and Frankie Dettori by a head.
Easterby said: "He loves fast ground. We were in a few races at Ascot and Goodwood, but we swerved them to come here because it's nearer – well it is for me!
"These owners always come to the York August meeting and they thought it was wonderful just to have a runner so to win is fantastic.
"He's a very good horse. This was his target really and he had a hard race there.
"He was big as a yearling so took a bit of time but he's well bred and is coming good now."
Co-owner Andrew Gemmell has had some great days in the same colours with top hurdler Paisley Park, and was delighted to have a York winner.
He said: "I love this meeting, I've always wanted a winner here so this is just unreal.
"The thrill is fantastic and to get one here, I just can't believe it.
"He's as tough as teak and a winner for a local trainer."
There can not have been many instances in racing's illustrious history when two jockeys who are engaged fight out the finish and the winning distance is just a nose, but that was the case when Hollie Doyle on Forbearance edged out Tom Marquand on Domino Darling.
Trained in Ireland by Jessica Harrington, Forbearance (12-1) had finished third in a Group Three last time out so was dropping in class and trip for the Listed British EBF & Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes.
The two pulled clear from some way out and they flashed by the post together, but it was Doyle who claimed the bragging rights.
"I just about thought I'd won. I tracked Tom the whole way because I could see he was going very well while I was going just about as fast as I could," said Doyle.
"I knew she'd stay well and I didn't want to get done for toe and it has been hard to make ground up today so I didn't want to be too far back.
"She was very brave, there were numerous occasions I thought we were going to get defeated, but she stuck her neck out."
She added: "It doesn't happen very often, me beating Tom, as he usually gets the better of me and when I saw it was him upsides I thought 'crumbs, here we go again'.
"After the line he did say 'well done' as he thought he'd been beaten."
Andrew Balding suffered a rare recent reversal when Sandrine was a beaten favourite in the Lowther earlier on the card but got on the mark when providing Oisin Murphy with another winner when Harrow prevailed in the OR8Wellness EBF Stallions Nursery Handicap.
Sent off at 6-1 having won at Ffos Las last time out, the champion jockey had to be at his strongest to get home a length and a half in front of Alflaila and Maglev, who dead-heated for second.
Murphy said: "It was a bit of a slog this morning as that 8st 4lb is the lightest I've done for a very long time, and I put up 1lb over so I have to thank connections for allowing me to stay on.
"He's starting to grow out of his quirks and he has a high level of ability. I think he'll go on and do better next year. We've always liked him on his home work and he's won a very competitive nursery there."