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Shoemark in Synch with newcomer

Synchronicity has a long way to go to match the exploits of her Group One-winning brother Ombudsman, but she made the perfect introduction when proving a class above her rivals in the Bridget ‘Confined’ Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

Purchased for 900,000 guineas, the daughter of Night Of Thunder, who runs in the colours of Blackpool FC owner Simon Sadler’s TBT Racing operation, was sent off the 6/4 favourite to make an introduction in the seven furlong event.

Racing just behind the early pace the well-supported market leader did not let her legion of supporters down when bursting through late on under Kieran Shoemark before storming to glory by two lengths much to the delight of trainer Ed Walker.

The Lambourn handler said: “She is a nice filly. She was very expensive and has got the pedigree to go with it. She has been doing all the right things at home, but she is still a frame of a filly and she is only going to improve.

“She would probably be the highest profile, biggest pressure debutant, other than for the one I had for The King and The Queen up at Haydock, as I was pretty nervous about that.

“She is the current biggest pedigree and biggest price tag debutant I’ve had so I was feeling the pressure a bit, but they say pressure is a privilege and it is welcome pressure.

“It is great to have Kieran on our side and he gave her an absolute peach of a ride.”

Following the race Synchronicity was cut from 50/1 into 25/1 for the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches by Paddy Power, however Walker hinted that a trip to York for a tilt at the Listed Sky Bet Fillies’ Stakes, better known as the Michael Seely Memorial Stakes, could be next.

He added: “The plan coming into this season was here, and if here went well, then maybe the Michael Seely at York. If that comes too soon I’m not sure. She is a really exciting filly and Ombudsman is an unbelievable horse and she is so far following in his footsteps.

“I think that will be the last time we will see her over seven furlongs as I think we will go up to a mile.”

Voyager gets Beckett up and running

Ralph Beckett celebrated his first two-year-old winner of the season after Blessed Voyager hit the ground running on his debut in the Dubai Duty Free EBF Maiden Stakes at Newbury.

Having sent out stablemate Dance A Jig to finish second in the Brocklesby at Doncaster last month the Classic-winning handler went one better with his second juvenile runner in the five furlong contest.

Making stealthy headway late on, the 11/1 chance motored past his rivals in the centre of the track under Hector Crouch to hold off the fast-finishing Harry Knows from the Richard Hughes yard by a head.

And while no grand plans beckon for the son of Bayside Boy, Beckett was delighted to see the Valmont and Michael Blencowe-owned colt make a winning start to life.

Beckett said: “We don’t have many forward ones. There is this one, and the one who we ran in the Brocklesby, but we won’t run any other newcomers for a month or so, but it is nice to get off the mark with them.

“He was pretty badly behaved in the paddock as he kicked our travelling head girl, but I was pleased he behaved well in the race.

“He had been away from home and galloped well there, and he galloped better after he came back, so it wasn’t a huge surprise. Funnily enough when he was behaving well at the start I thought we had a squeak then.

“He will go six furlongs and we will do that next time. I don’t think we thought of him as a Royal Ascot type before today, but we will run him under a penalty and see what he does from there.”

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