Night Raider was 'just there for the education' before sensational debut win at Newcastle
By Sporting Life
13:29 · THU December 14, 2023
Karl Burke expects stunning debut winner Night Raider to return with even more to offer as a three-year-old.
The Clipper Logistics-owned youngster is by Dark Angel and out of a Shamardal mare called Dorrarr, already the dam of two winners in Dubai Dawn and Group Three scorer Far Above, who now stands at Starfield Stud.
Making his debut in a 10-runner novice run over seven furlongs on Southwell’s all-weather track on Tuesday night, the colt was ridden by Danny Tudhope to travel smartly near the front of the field before cantering to an easy nine-length victory when barely pressed.
The triumph, which earned him a Timeform rating of 93p, could have been by an even wider margin had he been pushed and came ahead of well-bred horses such as Roger Varian’s Midnight’s Dream, half-brother to Group winner White Lavender, and John and Thady Gosden’s Danielle, a Cracksman filly out of Crimson Ribbon whose half-siblings include Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami and stakes scorers Lion’s Pride, Crimson Rosette, Purple Ribbon and Astronomos.
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Log in with your existing Sporting Life, Sky Bet, or Sky Games account. If you don't have any of those, it's completely FREE to register!
Sectional timing data shows Night Raider to have run a notably quick final two furlongs while still on the bridle, a heartening statistic for a horse Burke hopes will only come back stronger next year.
“It was a very impressive debut, he’s a beautiful horse and a horse we’ve always thought an awful lot of,” he said.
“He got a slight niggle early in the summer which meant we had to back off him, but he’s very much a horse that’s going to improve from two to three as he’s a big horse.
“He’s been working nicely, but he’s not we’ve really drilled at home, there’s plenty of improvement in him.
“Visually it was a stunning performance and the time and ratings back that up as well, but there’s still plenty in the tank for him to improve from two to three.
“I believe he did an 11-second last furlong on the bridle, which is unheard of really. He was there just for the education and he won’t run again now until the spring, we’ll find a race for him then.”
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.
We are committed to Safer Gambling and have a number of self-help tools to help you manage your gambling. We also work with a number of independent charitable organisations who can offer help and answers any questions you may have.
