Ascot Saturday review and replays: Emaraaty Ana wins Rous Stakes

Class came to the fore in the Blue Eagle Rous Stakes as Emaraaty Ana (5/2 favourite) made the most of a drop in class and trip at Ascot on Saturday.

The seven-year-old last tasted success in the Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock in September 2021 but was placed twice at that level in 2022, proving that the flame still burned brightly. Emaraaty Ana struggled in his first two starts of this year and was dropped to Listed level on his return from a short break in August, finishing second at Newmarket and third at York.

Those runs were over six furlongs and the drop to the minimum worked the oracle for Kevin Ryan's charge who jumped well under Neil Callan before working his way over to the stands' side rail and running on strongly to prevail by a length and three quarters.

Korker finished second with Nymphadora third.

"It (the drop in trip) was just a suggestion," said Callan on Sky Sports Racing. "And I think Kevin (Ryan) already had it in the back of his mind. That's the great thing about Kevin as a boss, you can talk openly - he doesn't always listen to you - but at least you can get your point across whether it's the right or the wrong one.

"I was a bit frustrated myself with this horse because I kind of had big plans to win a Group 1 this year at some stage with him and I was half thinking 'was it just me?', was he just not suiting me the way the races were being run because he was getting out of the gates a lot quicker than he normally used to.

"After Newmarket I suggested, because I thought he was idling a little bit in front, that he just might need a bit of headgear on and I don't mean that in a bad way. He hasn't lost anything, he's actually got faster as he's got older, and I think the cheekpieces just sharpened him up and hopefully that's a good confidence booster for him.

"His class has shown through today, he's better than this lot, and I'm just hoping he'll get some confidence out of it now and take the next step back up into better class."

Al caramba!

When Israr hit the front under Benoit De La Sayette, it looked for all the world as though the Jim Barry Cumberland Lodge Stakes was in safe-keeping as the four-year-old went two lengths clear.

However, there was still over a furlong to run in the Group 3 and as Israr's stride began to shorten the front-running Al Qareem (10/3) was just getting going.

The tough four-year-old, trained by Karl Burke, had enjoyed a confidence boosting win in a Listed race at Chester on his first start after finishing down the field at the Dubai World Cup in March and took another step forwards in winning for the sixth time in his career and for the second in pattern company.

Israr was second with Postileo third, ahead of the veteran Euchen Glen who was never nearer than at the finish.

Winning jockey Clifford Lee said: "All he does is gallop and he likes these stiff finishes. He doesn't have a turn of foot but he's got a good cruising speed and he can keep going.

"To be fair I thought I was always going to get back on him (Israr), it was a long way still from the winning post and my lad keeps galloping; he tries hard."

“We’re delighted to see him win again,” said Nick Bradley of owners Nick Bradley Racing.

“I think we got it tactically spot on when Cliff sat second. When he’s led before he has been a bit free so I think Claymore going on has helped us and made it a right stamina test.

“The other horse passed us showing more speed, but then stamina kicked in and as soon as I saw Israr not go away I thought Al Qareem would come back based on what he did at Chester. We are probably running him over his minimum trip at the moment. I’m delighted and delighted for all his owners as well. He’s just a tough, hardy stayer.”

The strong-staying son of Awtaad was a Group Two winner at ParisLongchamp in the Qatar Prix Chaudenay last autumn and could now be given the chance to better last year’s fifth-placed finish in the French St Leger on his next start.

“He has two options and one is the St Simon Stakes at Newbury on October 28,” added Bradley.

“That’s a mile-and-a-half Group Three again and I’m not going to say it’s a penalty kick, but it is the easier option. Otherwise we go for the Group One Prix Royal-Oak which is nearly two miles at Longchamp. Entries for that are next week. I need to speak with Karl, but I think we’ll enter for both and then decide during that week.”

Annaf leaves it late

Favourite backers' hearts would have been in their mouths with Annaf (5/2 favourite) not in front until the line in the John Guest Racing Bengough Stakes.

Settled in midfield towards the rail by Rossa Ryan, Annaf was still edging off the stands' side looking for room as Commanche Falls was asked to go and win his race.

Commanche Falls, who was conceding 3 lbs to the winner, did everything right but slowly but surely Annaf, trained by Mick Appleby, began to eat into his advantage under a confident Ryan who hit the front on the line with the judge calling a photo before confirming the outcome.

The winning margin was a short-head with a length back to Pink Crystal in third.

“It was a great run and he just keeps improving,” said Appleby.

“He’s been so consistent this year and I just hope he’s got some more improvement to come. Rossa gets on so well with him and knows how to ride him. They get on really well together.

“Whether that will be it for the year now, I’m not sure. There are a couple of more races for him, but we’ll speak with the owners and decide what to do. We could possibly go to the Kachy Stakes again at Lingfield, but we’ll give him a break at some point.”

Ryan added: "He's something else. Six (furlongs) was a worry for me because six on the all-weather is easy but six here is a lot different. With no pace in the race, I was thinking I'd have to be handier. I wasn't too worried about being left on the rail but when James started to crack first I thought 'oh no' and then I had to manoeuvre again but it actually played into my hands really.

"The last day he got there half a furlong out and he pulled himself up but today I thought he was always going to get there, I was just worried about getting there too soon. He's been something else for me this year."

Leave it to the judge

Atrium (25/1) prevailed from Popmaster in a thrilling finish to the Howden Challenge Cup.

The field were spread across the wide expanses of the Ascot straight in the seven furlong heritage handicap but it was those racing towards the stands' side who held the advantage.

Popmaster and Atrium put daylight between themselves and their pursuers with little to choose between the pair as they flashed past the line.

The judge called a photo and announced Atrium the winner by a nose from Popmaster who was conceding 10 lbs to the winner.

Pearle D'Or, tipped each-way by Value Bet at 18/1, finished third, ahead of Lethal Levi and Rhoscolyn.

Harry Davies, who rode Atrium, said: "He's a nice horse on his day, got a lovely tow in, relaxed good and I just wanted to ride him to finish up that hill. I just thought fill him full of confidence. Taking him through horses, he really enjoyed that and he was very gutsy at the finish.

"To be honest I didn't think I had it, so delighted."

Trainer Charlie Fellowes added: “He’s been a star of a horse and he’s won five or six times over the last couple of years, but has never really won a big one. He’s always won nice handicaps but never one of the big ones.

“He deserved to win a big one and I’m over the moon for the horse and I’m over the moon for the owners because there is no better place to win a big handicap than Ascot and he did it really well.

“He had a really, really hard race at Doncaster when he won about three starts ago. It was on really soft ground and he had a hard race and when he came back from that his enthusiasm for racing just wasn’t the same. He was coming out the stalls very slowly and half thinking about things.

“We did a few things at home to just try and spark him up again and rekindle some enthusiasm. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t but when it does it is particularly satisfying and today he raced like a horse in love with racing. He jumped out the gates good and travelled as well as anything and he really fought against a really tough horse in Popmaster.”

Atrium holds an entry for the Balmoral Handicap on QIPCO British Champions Day but a return to Ascot is not guaranteed, with Fellowes cautious of asking his charge to go into battle again with a big date in the sales ring looming.

“I do very much have in the back of mind how hard the Doncaster race hit him,” he added.

“He’s in the horses-in-training sale and I think if the owners were keeping him next year I would be more interested in running again. But he’s due to be sold and potentially it would be a silly move to go and run him again quickly two weeks later after he’s had a hard race and if he was to run poorly it may give potential buyers a question mark over him.

“We’ll see. I would love to run him if we were keeping him, but he’s going to go to the sales and there is a decision to be made.”

The judge was in action again as the proverbial blanket could have been thrown over the first five home in the Listed McGee Group British EBF October Stakes.

Cell Sa Beela (12/1) was called the winner ahead of 5/2 joint-favourite Breege who was carried across the track by third home Farhh To Shy.

Winning rider Jim Crowley said: "She deserved that.

"I rode her two runs ago at Sandown, she was a bit unlucky that day. She dropped back to seven today and had enough gears to quicken up off a slow pace like that, it was nice.

"She just got tight for room a little bit, we were all hemmed in, she was squeezed up a little bit but she quickened up nice and she deserved that."

There was no need for a photo in the closing ABF The Soldiers' Charity Handicap as Badri (17/2) found extra close home to record a clearcut success.

Ridden by Ryan Sexton and trained by Julie Camacho, Badri was winning for the fifth time in 2023 although this was the six-year-old's first success since joining Camacho from Ruth Carr.

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