Sky Bet Sunday Series: no £100,000 bonus in big finale
Race reports and quotes by Graham Clark
Both Derry Lad and Blow Your Horn came up short in their bid to win a third Sky Bet Sunday Series contest of the current series and the lucrative £100,000 bonus as this year's well-received programme concluded at Sandown Park.
Derry Lad, a winner at Hamilton Park in May and Pontefract in June before finishing third on heavy ground at Haydock Park earlier this month, was unable to make his fourth and final appearance in this year's Series another winning one as the Irish challenger took a keen hold under Benoit de la Sayette in the Sky Bet Sunday Series Middle Distance Apprentice Handicap and was not ideally positioned as Kevin Coleman's runner finished sixth of the nine runners behind all-the-way winner Graignes.
That left Blow Your Horn as the sole contender in line to potentially scoop the big pot for connections ahead of the anticipated finale, but the 9-1 chance was similarly keen and headstrong towards the back of the field and also finished sixth for trainer Ian Williams in the Sky Bet Sunday Series Stayers' Handicap.
Racing TV pundit Chris Dixon said: "It's really good money on offer and a big bonus but it's very hard to win.
"The races are so competitive that it's very difficult, but it does create interest and excitement and, in both years of the Series, we have got to the last day with horses in with chances.
"We've had three horses tonight that have managed to win two races, so it's not unachieveable, and while it is difficult that is how it should be and the bonus definitely adds something to the Series."
Herrington hails "legend" Good Earth
Herrington hails a "massive day" on the Sky Bet Sunday Series finale at Sandown
Michael Herrington hailed Good Earth as a ‘legend’ of a horse after providing the triumphant trainer with what he described as a ‘massive day’ at one of his favourite tracks in the Sky Bet Sunday Series Sprint Handicap at Sandown Park.
Picked up privately out of Jamie Osborne’s yard for £7,500 the gelded son of Acclamation continued to demonstrate he was money well spent when landing his third success of the season, and second in the Sky Bet Sunday Series, in the five-furlong contest.
Making a flying start from the gates the six-year-old, who contested the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood last time out, was not for passing under rising star of the weighing room Connor Planas with pair doing just enough to hold off the late challenge of 9-4 Favourite Lil Guff by a short-head.
Herrington said of the 8-1 winner: “He ran at Goodwood on unraceable ground in the Stewards’ Cup and they called the meeting off after that and Yarmouth was on the dead side and today was more on the ground that he likes.
“We know he jumps the stalls well, but we weren’t expecting him to jump that well. We half expected to take a lead of Tom Marquand’s horse (Get It) and sit maybe fifth or sixth and come with a run and see how far we have got.
“It is a massive day and Sandown is one of my favourite tracks. It is one of the nicest tracks in the world. I gave seven and a half thousand for him and he was running in sellers and claimers.
“He is a legend and he is a nice genuine horse.”
Trainer eyes nice targets
While Herrington has entered Good Earth, who he part owns, in the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup, he admits that an outing in the Betfred Portland (Handicap) at Doncaster on September 16th might be a more suitable target.
He added: “I’ve put him in the Ayr Gold Cup, but it depends on the ground and if it soft that would be a bit stiff. There is a race at York on Saturday but that might come too soon.
“The Portland would be a race for him and he only just missed getting in last year, but that would be a race for him.”
Simcock ends long nine-year wait
David Simcock ended his nine-year wait for a winner at Sandown Park after Traila showed an abundance of stamina to get up close home in the Sky Bet Sunday Series Stayers’ Handicap to move a step closer to an outing in the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch.
The Esher track has not been a happy hunting ground for the Newmarket handler in recent seasons, however after several near misses he finally saw his fortunes change thanks to the gelded son of Australia in the concluding one mile and six furlongs contest.
Victory looked to be heading the way of long-time leader Dark Island, but after making up rapid ground late on the 9-1 chance manage to get up almost on the line to score by nose and give Simcock his first Sandown Park winner in 3,303 days.
See how Traila landed the final race of this year's Sky Bet Sunday Series in dramtic style under Callum Shepherd
Simcock said: “We knew he stays well and he really wants two miles. Nothing really went to plan. We were supposed to jump and sit prominently and that never happened so we had to go to Plan B.
“I’ve got an absolutely awful record here. When Cash got beaten a short head in the Classic Trial here last year I knew things weren’t going to change, but that puts it right.
“He (Traila) has got an inconsistent profile, but that is partly our fault as he has taken a bit of working out. We have run him on the wrong ground, and run him back too quick, but now we know him I think he will be progressive. He will make into a nice horse.”
Looking ahead Simcock intends to give Traila at least one more outing to ensure he gets into the prestigious two and a quarter mile handicap at Newmarket on October 14th.
Simcock added: “He will have to go up a few pounds to get in the Cesarewitch, but there is the trial there and we will have a look at that, as long as it is on top of the ground.
“He will get four pounds for that I imagine which will take him to 91 and if he could win again before then that would get him in. He wants top of the ground and it is a race we have in mind as he stays very well.”
Marinara marks big day for Fraser
"It's going well so far," Kaiya Fraser tells Chris Dixon
Henry Spiller will consider Listed race options for Marinara, who provided apprentice jockey Kaiya Fraser with one of the most valuable victories of his career when displaying a determined attitude in the Sky Bet Sunday Series Fillies’ Handicap.
After getting off the mark at Yarmouth on her most recent start 32 days ago the daughter of U S Navy Flag added to that success when taking a step up to nine furlongs in her stride to pocket the £30,000 contest under 5lb claimer Fraser.
Dictating matters from the outset the 7-2 chance, who scored over seven furlongs last time out, found plenty under pressure out in front to repel Tango Tonight by half a length.
Spiller said: “We’ve always felt she wants further than she has been running but she just hasn’t settled in her races. She has learnt to settle in her races and Kaiya has built up a good relationship with her.
“She is so tough and genuine she is an absolute pleasure to deal with. She is only a shell and she will keep improving and go through the grades a bit.
“We will possibly have a tilt at a Listed race as she will be close to 90 after that. It would be competitive in a Listed race, but she has got a good pedigree.
“She is not ground dependant and her style of racing, where she bowls along in front, would probably suit a race in France.”
Richard Spencer speaks to Racing TV's Chris Dixon after Sky Bet Sunday Series success
Richard Spencer was rewarded for heeding the advice offered by Group One-winning jockey Neil Callan after Two Tribes (7-1) opened his account at the fourth time of asking in the opening Sky Bet Sunday Series Nursery.
Having finished second over course and distance on his previous start the son of Rajasinghe went one better in the first-time blinkers in the five-furlong dash when holding off Call Glory by three-quarters of a length.
Spencer said: “It was a shame that he couldn’t run in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot as he got withdrawn at the start, but we thought he would have out run his odds that day.
“Neil Callan rode him the last day and said if he had the blinkers on he thought he could have won that day. We changed the cheekpieces for the blinkers and he has got the job done.
“We have always liked him, but we will just go through the handicap ranks and see how far he goes.”
Royal Supremacy could be smart
Andrew Balding: "Good horses win Sandown maidens and hopefully he'll be another one"
There might be no big race entries by the side of Royal Supremacy (6-1) at the moment but that could all change in the near future after he made his debut a triumphant one in the Race To A Cure For MND Newcomers’ Maiden Stakes.
The Make Believe colt showed a tenacious attitude under three-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy in the seven-furlong event to edge out Colorada Dancer by a nose, with Rascal Recknell three-quarters of a length away back in third.
Balding said: “Oisin was very impressed with him as he didn’t have a great trip around. He was a bit babyish when he came off the bridle but I was very happy with him.
“I was confident he had got the photo finish as I thought his head was down when it needed to be. He is a nice horse and he will probably stay a bit further. He should have a good autumn.
“You never know what you are taking on, but we were pretty hopeful today. He hasn’t got any big entries next to his name but there are plenty of nice races in the autumn which haven’t closed yet.”
Fisher a name to note in jockey ranks
Taylor Fisher tells Chris Dixon about Sky Bet Sunday Series success and his plans for the winter
Taylor Fisher continued to demonstrate he is a rider going places when celebrating his first winner at the Esher with a facile front-running success aboard Graignes (11-2) in the Sky Bet Sunday Series Middle Distance Apprentice Handicap.
The 18-year-old made it winner 29 in 2023 aboard the George Baker-trained Zoffany gelding, who followed up his last time out success at Kempton Park by two and three-quarter lengths in the mile and a quarter prize.
Fisher said: “I thought we were going to go a real good gallop, but we haven’t and I’ve been able to control it. It was easy in the end.
“The plan was to make the running. He can be a bit slow away, but he wasn’t today and we took advantage of that and won from there.
“I’ve just gone down to three pounds now and that was my 51st winner. It has been getting going nicely and I’m getting a rhythm going.”
