On a night where the crowd were entertained by highly energetic Madhouse Brothers and Ripon’s fascinating new anatomy horse was unveiled, on the track it was the debut of Under The Stars in the opening 6f Fillies’ Novice Auction Stakes that got people talking.
James Tate’s filly showed plenty of inexperience in the first half of the contest but once the penny dropped she powered clear in the final furlong to score by three-lengths under PJ McDonald. She looks a very useful performer in the making.
Tate and McDonald completed a double when Sameem landed the feature race on the card, the 1m2f ‘Ripon, Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse Handicap’. Prior to that Ascot Week went one better than when runner-up on his previous run at Ayr, taking the 1m ‘Middleham Trainers Association Handicap’ for John Quinn and Jason ‘The Hitman’ Hart and Daniel Tudhope extended his lead at the top of the Jockeys Championship, coming from a seemingly impossible position to get up on the line on board William Muir’s Just Hubert in the 1m4f handicap.
Pinarella made the crowd wait as she took the scenic route to the start for the 6f ‘Topsport Equisand Handicap’ but the Ben Haslam-trained filly didn’t hand about once the race began, making almost all of the running to win by a length under Andrew Mullen.
The 1m maiden finale was won in impressive fashion by Charlie Hills’ Khalid Abdullah-owned filly Stagehand, who got the better of market rival Morning Duel to give Kieran Shoemark a first winner at Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse.
