Saturday Newmarket news | Eddie's Boy primed for inaugural pot
By Graham Clark
16:17 · TUE August 23, 2022
Weatherbys Super Sprint winner Eddie's Boy is out to snare another huge pot in the inaugural running of the £100,000 Tattersalls Somerville Auction Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
The Archie Watson-trained son of Havana Grey will tackle six furlongs for the first time in his career on the July Course when shouldering top weight under Hollie Doyle in a contest which offers prize money down to 10th place.
In seven starts this season Eddie’s Boy has secured victories at Southwell and in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury, along with finishing third at Listed level in the Coral Dragon Stakes at Sandown Park and the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Having finished outside the placings on his last two starts over five furlongs, connections of the Middleham Park Racing-owned colt believe now is the perfect time to try him over a new trip in a bid to help him get back into the winner’s enclosure.
Tom Palin, spokesman for owners Middleham Park Racing, said: “We are going up to six furlongs now as although he is a fast horse he might just have lost that edge he had over others earlier in the year as the cohort begins to get deeper and stronger.
“It might be now that he appreciates an extra furlong and that is the gamble we are taking. Places like Chester are good for front-runners but you can make all on the July Course as horses can get loose and roll on from it.
“His last couple of races it looked like he would appreciate the step up in trip while Havana Grey’s have been getting six furlongs already.
“I’d be something north of hopeful of him getting it. Whether he is better for it I don’t know - that is why we are coming here, to try it against this sort of opposition in a confined race.
“He has already won one sales race like this so we know he can do it and he is the best horse in the race on ratings.”
The form of Eddie’s Boy’s third in the Windsor Castle has been well advertised with the winner, Little Big Bear, securing Group One honours on his most recent start following an emphatic success in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at The Curragh.
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!
While his performance at the Royal meeting was a notable one Palin feels it was his two and a quarter length victory in the Weatherbys Super Sprint, a race he predicted he would win last October, that remains his stand-out display of the season.
He added: “I think the Super Sprint was special. That was his target and that was his Derby. I remember last October, just after we purchased, going to see him for the first time at Archie’s when we still had a little bit left to sell in him.
“I was standing there with Archie and his team and I said, ‘this horse will win the Super Sprint’ and he did. For owners like us it was a dream come true as it was a race we hadn’t yet won, so that was probably my highlight.
“That is not to downplay finishing third in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot as that was a real bonus, but the Super Sprint is the sort of race most syndicates want to win.”
Looking beyond this weekend Palin has earmarked the £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes on the Rowley Mile on October 1st as a potential target, should he see out the six furlongs.
He added: “The Super Sprint and Royal Ascot were the targets this year and after that it was a case of let’s re-group and see where we are.
“There is another sales race over on the Rowley Mile in October and he will probably have a little break again to get ready for that. That race has horses from Book Three and Four at the Tattersalls yearling sales in so it will be a bit deeper, but there is no reason not to have a go at it.”
As for 2023 plans, Palin is confident that Eddie’s Boy, who was purchased for 45,000 guineas, will train on and make further progression as a three year old.
He added: “It’s tough to know about next year but hopefully there is more to come and more good days to be had.
“At the moment we are taking each ball as it comes but I’d hope he would be the type of horse that could improve next year.”
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.
