Richard Hannon, denied victory in Royal Ascot’s opener on Tuesday by a whisker (officially a nose) with Rosallion, made good in the less frenetic surrounds of Yorkshire’s Garden racecourse last night when Alex Voikhansky narrowly got home in the feature Lloyd Land Rover Ripon Handicap over 1m 4f on Odin’s Legacy
However, it was as heart-stopping a finish as 24 hours earlier, with distances of a neck, a head and a head separating the first 4. It was a well-ridden race by the 3lb claimer, who has just 3 winners to lose his claim altogether, managing the keen four year old before joining the leader 2 out and asserting in the final furlong against renewed challenges from Sir Edward Lear, Lord Protector and fourth-placed Something.
The second runner from Collingbourne Ducis, Art of Fox, running in the concluding five furlong handicap, was no match for Tracy Waggott’s Mrs baggeran, under William Pyle, who made all, and had a little in hand at the close. The Co Durham trainer is enjoying a good season with five winners to date, well on her way to surpassing last year’s total of 8.
Yorkshire has been mourning the loss of 95 year old Peter Easterby this last 10 days, but a twinkle would have met the maestro’s eye in the belated maiden victory of Modern Times under the tutelage of son Tim in the 6f Jerome Connelly Memorial Maiden. Easterby Snr was a great advocate of improving horses, and the four year old Modern Times, who has run 14 times previously for Harry Eustace and Iain Jardine, evidently benefited from the Sherriff Hutton treatment, lying handy until picking off the leader two out and winning under Sean Kirrane a shade comfortably by 1 1/2l.
Ripon has been a happy hunting ground for Middleham’s Charlie Johnstone, with a 14% strike rate over the past 5 seasons. The yard’s Francophone had earlier run a 3 1/4l fifth in the Kensington Palace Fillies under Christophe Soumillon, but Joe Fanning had an altogether easier task on Mr Cool in the 6f Wells Memorial Challenge Trophy, winning going away from second-placed Ziggy’s Ariel by a half length.
The evening opened with a juvenile winner for Archie Watson, for whom, so far at any rate, Ascot success has been elusive. Maiden filly Duskaura, who’s been knocking on the door in previous second places at Catterick and Yarmouth, went one better here under William Cox to lose her maiden tag. She’s bred to get further, so she may well extend in distance by the autumn.
Harrison Shaw and Grant Tuer teamed up in the 1m2f fillies Handicap with Shielas Well, fighting a sustained battle with Joe Fanning on French Haven, before finally asserting by a head. Shaw is not first choice for the Birkby trainer behind Oliver Stammers, but he did his chances of more rides no harm in the closest finish of the evening.
We’re back tomorrow for Ladies Day at Ripon
