A review of the action from Saturday's meeting at Doncaster where Silvestre de Sousa and Charyn won the first race of the turf Flat season.
Sizzling start from de Sousa
Silvestre de Sousa made the best possible start to the new turf season when teaming up with Roger Varian’s Charyn to win the William Hill Doncaster Mile.
The former champion jockey has only recently returned from a 10-month suspension picked up in Hong Kong for breaching betting rules. De Sousa, 43, has been getting his eye in on the all-weather recently but will have been thrilled to pick up the first Listed race of the season on the Group One-placed Charyn.
Last year’s winner Astral Beau made another bold bid for Pam Sly but she had no answer close home to the 2-1 winner, who streaked three and a half lengths clear under hands and heels riding.
“He’s a lovely horse, he just felt a little bit lazy out there,” said De Sousa. “He’s ended up picking up really well. There wasn’t much of a pace, so I just rode the race to suit him.”
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With David Egan taking up his role with Amo Racing this season, Varian will be employing a new team of jockeys, with De Sousa in line to pick up plenty, along with James Doyle.
“That was a nice start to the season. Last year, he put up some really good efforts in the Irish Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes against some top opposition,” said Varian. “He was a Group Two-winning two-year-old, he’s always been a nice horse and had some big questions asked of him last year, hopefully this can be his year.
“He looks to have done well through the winter, he’s a stronger horse this year and we were always keen to come here just to try and get a win on the board and build him back up again. I was worried about the ground, as while he has run some good races on testing ground, he’s at his best on a sounder surface. I think he’ll go on any ground. I’d like to go to Sandown for the Group Two (Bet365 Mile) and then the Lockinge.”
On the jockey situation, Varian added: “We’re in a good position. Some of our owners have their own jockeys, James Doyle is going to ride quite a few for us when available. Silvestre has been in riding work, I’ve got Jack Mitchell to call upon, Cam Noble, Raul de Silva, Aiden Keeley, so I’ve got a good team and they are all in every morning putting in the work, so hopefully they’ll all get opportunities. Silvestre is a good jockey, we like him a lot, we’ve known him a long time.”
Cunha lands Brocklesby with Zminiature
Dylan Cunha put a feather in the cap of his training career in Britain as Zminiature landed the William Hill EBF Brocklesby Stakes.
Traditionally the curtain-raiser for the Flat season, this time the juvenile contest – won 12 months ago by Persian Force, who went on to prove very smart – was the second race on the Town Moor card.A Group One-winning handler in his native South Africa, Cunha is now based in Newmarket, and in this 16-1 winner he looks to have a nice colt on his hands.
Given a patient ride by Rhys Clutterbuck, the Territories youngster moved smoothly through runners to pick up long-timer leader Paddy’s Courage inside the final furlong, before keeping on nicely to hold Bob The Bandit and Indication Ember by a length and a short head.
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Cunha said: “It was expected. We really fancied him. He’s small but he’s tough and does everything right. It’s nice to get a good early two-year-old winner. I said to the owners halfway through the race ‘it’s been a great experience, he’s learning to race’, as it looked like he was going to be fourth or fifth. We took him to Chelmsford for a gallop last Monday, we did all the work that needed to be done. I’ve got to thank the Sarkar family, they were the first owners in the UK to support me, so to pay them back with a Brocklesby winner is massive. His name is Zminiature because he’s tiny, he’s only up to my chest!
“We started with three horses 18 months ago but we’re up to 50 now, 25 of those are two-year-olds. It’s been hard work, 18-hour days, but I’ve got to thank the team at home, I just conduct it all. There’s a conditions race at Chester and a Listed race at Sandown, then after that we’ll take stock.
“I’m pleased for Rhys, I don’t think he gets the opportunities he deserves but he’s quite softly spoken and in this game you’ve got to make a bit of noise and talk yourself into jobs, but it meant I was able to get him. He’s a great jockey, I love him.”
Zminiature makes a winning start in the Brocklesby
Smiling shines in Spring Mile
The mercurial Look Back Smiling provided Gemma Tutty with the biggest success of her training career when winning the William Hill Epic Boost Spring Mile.
Bought out of Ed Dunlop’s stable by Nick Bradley for what now looks a snip at £10,000, the four-year-old was defying a career-high mark of 83. A winner in heavy ground at Town Moor last October, he had conditions to suit once more and was delivered perfectly by 5lb claimer Brandon Wilkie. The only worry was that under pressure he drifted into Jamie Spencer on the 5-1 favourite Thunder Roar, bidding to give Tony Coyle and Kaine Wood a first winner since the start of their new joint venture. The stewards left the original result alone, though.
Tutty said of the 17/2 winner: “As you could see in the final furlong, he’s not the most straightforward and he doesn’t make life easy for his jockeys. That’s another fantastic run at this track though, so we’re going to have to look at coming back here. He doesn’t do a stroke at home. In his work, we put the least experienced jockeys on him and just play catch me if you can, then he just keeps going and going.”
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She went on: “He won three races last year, but I suppose in racing like he does, it’s protected him from the handicapper. It’s just a shame he needs the ground this soft because some of those big handicaps in the summer would be perfect for him.
“We’ve had a really good start to the year, we’ve targeted the All-Weather Championships, so we’ve had more runners than we’d normally have and they’ve been running well, but you can’t have a better start to the turf season than this.
“It’s my biggest win, I suppose, we’ve got about 20 horses in and the staff have worked so hard all winter, the staff have been up and down that motorway all winter, so I can’t thank them enough. Nick Bradley has a few horses with me now, so it’s nice to repay the faith he has shown in me.”
Look Back Smiling wins the Spring Mile
Miami makes winning start
Two nice types for the future pulled well clear in the William Hill Epic Value Maiden Stakes, with the previously unraced Moon Over Miami coming out on top in a protracted duel with firm favourite Harper’s Ferry.
Sent off a 10/1 chance, Ralph Beckett was on hand to welcome back the gelded three-year-old, who found plenty for Hector Crouch despite showing signs of inexperience.
“He’s a nice horse but he’s just really immature,” said Beckett. “We didn’t do much with him last year, as we just didn’t think he was ready to run. We gelded him and put him away. He’s a horse who should get two miles on pedigree but he’s quite hard on himself, so he won’t be out quickly.”
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