3 minute read
Cox sprinter takes Westwood feature.
Tis Marvellous showed an impressive turn of foot to claim the Listed William Hill Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes for Paul Hanagan and Clive Cox.
The seven-year-old started at 7-1 for the five-furlong contest and raced handily behind the leaders until the final furlong pole, where Hanagan eased through a gap in the field and blazed home to prevail by three and three-quarter lengths from Kevin Ryan's Justanotherbottle.
The victory is the second in a row for Tis Marvellous, who took the Shergar Cup Dash at Ascot on his last outing in a campaign that has seen him gain a win or a place in each of his four runs.
"It was all the horse," Hanagan said of the triumph on the Westwood.
"He was an absolute pleasure to ride, he did it quite easily but he was very straightforward.
"He seemed to relish the hill, he hit that rising ground and really stretched away.
"It was just an easy steering job, it was all down to the horse.
"It's a race I've never won as well – I've had to wait until I'm 40 years old to win it, so I'm chuffed to bits.
"It's always a good sign when you can't pull one up after the line, he had plenty there."
Owners Julie Deadman and Stephen Barrow were thrilled with their bay, who was the 2-1 favourite for the race in 2019 but was denied a clear passage in the closing stages and eventually finished fifth.
The Ayr Gold Cup is now under consideration, as is the Group Three Dubai International Airport World Trophy at Newbury on September 18.
"We were delighted with that," Barrow said.
"He's a wonderful horse and had his ground.
"He was desperately unlucky in this two years ago but it was a perfect run through today.
"He's in the Ayr Gold Cup but he'll probably have to carry a penalty.
"There's also the Newbury Group Three to think about, but the trainer will tell us the best plan now."