3 minute read
Big Evs bounced back to his best with a dominant display on the Town Moor to land the Group 2 Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes.
Mick Appleby's runner built on a promising start to his career to win the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot on his second start and proved that performance was no fluke to ploughing through testing conditions to claim first prize in the Group 3 Molcombe Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
That performance sparked connections to roll the dice, as Big Evs bid to become the first two-year-old to land the Nunthrope Stakes since Kingsgate Native in 2007. He failed to land a blow that day but back against his own age group on softer ground, certainly saw Mick Appleby's juvenile star back to his best on the Town Moor this afternoon.
After exiting the stalls like a proverbial rocket, jockey Tom Marquand had quickly built up a sizeable advantage and it soon became clear from the halfway stage that Big Evs had his rivals in trouble.
The pair kicked clear with some distance to travel, but those in behind were never able to land a blow and Big Evs stretched clear for an emphatic two-and-a-three-quarter length success to reward the 9/4 favourite backers.
Andrew Balding's Flora Of Bermuda (5/1) fared best of the rest in second, while Roger Teal, who landed the previous contest with Dancing Gemini, would have been pleased with his once-raced Rosario, who stayed on well to finish third at 33/1.
Appleby said: "After he jumped out of the stalls there wasn't really a doubt. Once he got three or four lengths on them, they weren't going to catch him. You've got to be up the front on this ground.
"It's not the ideal ground for him but he's got the job done well. He's won a Molecomb and the Flying Childers on soft ground now.
"We just had to put a line through the Nunthorpe. I think he just had an exceptionally hard race at Goodwood, I think that just took its toll.
"I think it will be the Breeders' Cup next for the Juvenile Turf Sprint, straight there. It's five furlongs at Santa Anita which should be ideal. If he can get the rail, he could be difficult to peg back.
"He's been an amazing horse, the owners have turned down some big bids and there'll be more now, but luckily, he's not for sale.
"Coming into this, I was thinking that one race didn't make him a bad horse. If he'd disappointed again then we'd have been scratching our heads, but he's got the job done well today.
"Tom rode him today as Jason [Hart] was at Chester for his boss [John Quinn]. If Highfield Princess goes to the Breeders' Cup that means Jason will be, so he'll be there and all being well he'll be riding him again. Tom was a great replacement today."
