Bow Echo wins at Haydock

George Boughey excited about Bow Echo ahead of Group 2 Royal Lodge at Newmarket

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Wed September 24, 2025 · 3M ago

George Boughey says Bow Echo is the best two-year-old he’s had ahead of the Group 2 Tattersalls Online Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

The Night Of Thunder colt is unbeaten in two starts after a runaway success in a Newbury maiden on debut before he stepped up to beat Publish in the Listed Ascendent Stakes at Haydock last time.

Speaking on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast on Wednesday he said: “He’s definitely the best colt we’ve had.

“Most of the best horses we’ve had have been fillies, but he’s already a Stakes winner and 6/4 for the Royal Lodge so he has to be the best two-year-old we’ve had so far."

Boughey is hopeful he can justify those odds and confidence has increased in the Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum horse after a piece of work in Newmarket at the weekend.

He continued: “The horse is in great form and he’s working well. He worked on the Rowley Mile on Saturday and did exactly what we wanted to see him do. He’s still very raw and I wanted him to go away from his lead horse and put a race to bed.

“At Haydock he didn’t and he had to battle back, but he’s still learning and he looks like he’s going through the grades nicely.

“We’re stepping up to Group 2 company now, but he seems equal to everything we’ve given him so far.”

Listen to the team talk Cambridgeshire meeting

Saturday will be his deepest test yet with Godolphin set to run Pacific Avenue, Wathnan Racing have Humidity and Aidan O’Brien has seven to choose from, but Boughey thinks the likely strong pace will suit his colt perfectly.

“It looks a competitive renewal,” he said. “Aidan with half the field slightly muddies the waters a bit as we don’t know what’s going to turn up but it looks a good race.

“I think it will be a stamina influenced race, I just hope we get a true gallop and he can show himself off the best that he can.”

Boughey also runs Hilitany in the Group 1 Tattersalls Middle Park Stakes on the same card and he is another one that quickly showed ability once he started racing.

“He again has surprised me on the track,” Boughey said. “He was quite lively when he came from the Breeze-Ups and we just wanted to get a race into him.

“When he was allowed to roll on the front that’s when we saw the best of his ability.

“That’s how he likes to be ridden, it’s a completely different tempo [at this level], but he does jump and travel and at Newmarket that’s what you want to be doing."

George Boughey excited about Bow Echo ahead of Group 2 Royal Lodge at Newmarket

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