Newmarket Friday reports, reaction and free video replays

Beauvatier rises to Challenge

French raider Beauvatier ran out a comfortable winner of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes.

With Audience racing freely up front, Alexis Pouchin was content to bide his time aboard the four-year-old and produced him with his challenge at the furlong pole.

It soon became clear that it would be a winning one as the 7/1 winner swept past runner-up Poet Master (5/2) and Cosmic Year before drawing two-and-a-quarter lengths clear.

Alex Solis, racing manager to part owners LNJ Foxwoods SC, said: “It was amazing as it has been a tough year for him this year. He won a Group Three earlier in the season, but we always expected more. We finally found out today that he wants a bit more cover and a little more distance and it was very impressive. If you watch the Group One he ran in France he never got cover. He was stuck out wide the whole way and never relaxed.

“Today was one of those things and Yann had called Nico (des Chambure) and said he really wanted to run as it was a small field and he was right on the money as he placed him perfectly. In the Group Ones this year he never got cover and was a little rank, so today he (Alexis Pouchin) just grabbed him out of the gate. He (Yann Barberot) wanted him covered up, and he was right. Yann deserves all the credit.

“The first furlong they probably didn’t look like they were going quick then they took off and it probably set up for him that way. We were lucky to buy a piece of him as Nicolas des Chambure put us in as we were looking for a stallion prospect in Europe and he is right on the money. Truthfully, we thought he was a stallion prospect, but there might be more money running him.”

Burrows eyes Guineas tilt with Calendar Girl

Calendar Girl will have the month of May pencilled in next to her name next year for a tilt at the Betfred 1000 Guineas after taking a step up to pattern company in her stride in the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes.

The Owen Burrows-trained daughter of Advertise advanced her Classic claims when following up her sales race success at Doncaster last time out on her Group Three debut in the seven furlong test.

Always travelling well in behind early leader, and eventual runner-up, Mubasimah, the well-backed 6/5 favourite appeared to have matters well under control under Callum Rodriguez as the race approached the closing stages.

Once sent on it looked as though the Kennett Valley Syndicates-owned filly had the race in the locker, however it was far from plain sailing for the market leader who was forced to pull out all the stops to hold off the rallying Mubasimah.

However, despite being forced to roll up her sleeves late on, Calendar Girl held on to victory by a neck to leave her delighted connections dreaming of a return to the track in next year’s Betfred 1000 Guineas, for which she was cut from 66/1 into 33/1 by Paddy Power and Sky Bet.

Burrows said: “I thought she was a bit too short to be truthful, but she hung on in there well. She had a little look around when she hit the front. I thought she was going to win by a length, but, to be fair to the second, she stuck on in there.

“She was always doing enough when she felt the other horse there and Callum said she has not had a hard time of it. It is a nice way to have them as you would rather have them like that. She has just had a look there as it is a big wide open place. She wants a mile and she will be a miler next year. That was good.

“She is a big filly and we would like to think she will improve with a winter on her back. It is great for these guys who are now dreaming. It is great that she has had a bit of experience here and it is the obvious plan. If it is a nice enough spring it probably wouldn’t be the worst thing to do (run her in a trial) and we might pop up to Newbury with her. We will wait and see what the winter does.”

And a re-match on the Rowley Mile in May could be on the cards with the runner-up after connections of the Andrew Balding-trained filly suggested that the Betfred 1000 Guineas is now likely to be on the agenda.

Philip Robinson, racing manager to owner Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum, said: “She has run a cracker. When the ground stayed nice and quick Sheikh Juma was keen to run her again to get some more experience into her and we are delighted with her.

“I just said to Sheikh Juma that I wish the other filly had come at her a bit earlier as she was looking around for company in front. She will go away and we will think about next year. Hopefully she will come back here next year and she will definitely be entered in the 1000 Guineas and we will see how she handles the trials next year.

"She has a nice temperament and with a winter on her back hopefully she will be even better next year.”

Folly edges out Brussels in Cornwallis thriller

Beckford’s Folly set up a potential trip to Dubai over the winter after securing a last-gasp success in the Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes at Newmarket.

Having seen his hat-trick bid come unstuck when finishing sixth in the Group Three Sirenia Stakes at Kempton Park on his last outing, the son of Lope De Vega bounced back on his first start since being gelded with victory at the same level on his first attempt over five furlongs.

Sat just in behind the ferocious early pace set by Revival Power, the 16/1 chance was angled out by William Buick inside the final furlong to mount his challenge at the same time as favourite Brussels made his move.

However, as the pair went head-to-head in the closing strides it was the Charlie Appleby-trained runner who was to get the better of the argument by a nose to give the Godolphin handler his first success in the race.

He said: “He is a sharp gelding. He put up two decent performances at Newmarket, but then disappointed in the Sirenia. He was unruly that day and he has been a challenge. Full credit to Tara Murphy as she has ridden him from day one and he has taken a lot of managing, but he has always had a lot of natural pace.

“Needless to say he took the gelding operation well and he had put in some nice work recently. Mentally that got the steam out of him. He put a bit of work in midweek and there was nothing that could take him off the bridle.

“I just felt the way the race was going to be run, it was going to set up for him. They went so hard that I felt that if he could lay up with them, because he has got that pace to do that, then he will finish as well. Full credit to him he has put his head out and got the job done. He might come out to Dubai. He wouldn’t be a Breeders’ Cup horse or anything like that.”

Finishing three quarters of a length back in third was Aspect Island, who delighted his trainer James Owen with his effort in defeat on his first start in pattern company.

The trainer said: “It was a great run to go from a handicap to a Group race. He has run really well and he will continue to progress. His breeding suggests he is getting stronger all the time and he looks like a nice horse for the future. I think we might run him again somewhere this year, but we will work that out soon.”

Brave Yabher is Cup king

Yabher resumed his progression in tenacious fashion after leaving behind his below par effort at the Qatar Goodwood Festival when pulling out all the stops in the bet365 Old Rowley Cup.

After beating just one rival home at the Sussex venue back in August, the gelded son of Sea The Stars showed that effort to be a blip when responded well to late pressure to pocket the £100,000 prize under Tom Marquand.

Despite the mile and a half prize only attracting a field of 12 there was still plenty that held some sort of chance as the race, which features subsequent Group One winner Trueshan on its roll of honour, entered the closing stages.

Although Yabher had his stamina to prove over the trip, unlike some of his rivals, the new distance appeared to bring about more improvement in the William Haggas-trained 13/2 chance, who gamely prevailed under a determined Marquand by a neck.

Haggas said: “He did well today. He was unfortunate at Goodwood as he clipped heels with another one so you can put a line through that.

“He is a funny horse and we gelded him in the summer, but he is doing well. He will be around next year and we can aim him at some of those nice handicaps. He keeps going, and he wasn’t slowing down, so he might get a bit further next year as well.”

More from Sporting Life

• Free bets
• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.