Newmarket Saturday: review and free video replays from 2000 Guineas Day

Love conquers all

Unequal Love (4/1) got the better of two rivals as three pulled clear in the closing stages of the William Hill British EBF Ellen Chaloner Stakes.

Premiere Beauty took the field along in the early stages of the six furlong contest but was passed by favourite Star Guest and the penalised Funny Story, who had made up the ground from last with ease, as the race developed.

Unequal Love, having raced in behind the leaders, was ridden to challenge between the pair and proved strongest in the finish, pulling about a length clear under the Tom Marquand drive. Funny Story claimed second.

Trained by William Haggas, Unequal Love was having her first start of 2024 having finished fourth behind Funny Story in a C&D Listed contest when last in action in October.

Unequal Love holds an entry for the Group 2 Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh towards the end of the month and her handler confirmed that she would run in Ireland, saying: "Against the boys. No point putting her in and then not running if we've won a Listed. She's got the black type in the bag now so it's onwards and upwards."

Reflecting on her performance, Haggas said: "We were getting 3lbs from Ralph's filly (Funny Story) for a start but she's improved physically so I hope she'll have a good season. We should have waited a bit longer but I think Rossa (Ryan) was looking like trying to box him in, good bit of race riding and that forced Tom to go a bit earlier than he wanted but she stayed on well up the hill."

Marquand went on to complete a double when partnering Key To Cotai (17/2) to victory for trainer Ed Walker with the pair getting the better of Love Billy Boy by a nose.

The winning trainer said: "She deserved it, she's very game, very honest.

"I didn't think we had a chance two out to be honest with you. Tom followed one through, then she hit the rising ground and stayed on really well. Timed to perfection by Tom and lucky the photo finish went the right way.

"I think she likes a pace to aim at but she's versatile. She's not even actually three yet, 30th May is her birthday I think, so she's still got a lot of improvement in her I think. She should be fun and the aim eventually will be to get some black type."

Walker completed a double of his own in the finale when the Jamie Spencer ridden Crack Shot (7/2 favourite) got the better of 40/1 outsider Aalto.

Cop collars Apollo

Desert Cop (22/1) ran on well to deny Apollo One and Chairmanoftheboard in the William Hill Extra Place Races Handicap.

Trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by Oisin Murphy, Desert Cop was winning for the first time on grass. Tracking the early pace down the centre of the track, the four-year-old picked up well for Murphy and never looked like relinquishing his advantage, winning by a length.

Desert Cop was beaten a long way on his reappearance at the start of April and when asked to explain the turnaround, Murphy said: "He's just come in his coat and the sun on his back now - although it's been both hot and cold for the last few weeks - but he's come alive.

"He's not a horse that's very flashy in the mornings but it was apparent to me after a furlong today he was in form because I felt we went quite fast and he was tanking through the race. No matter what the conditions are on the Rowley Mile, if you can get on the front end, relax and not overwork then you're often on a horse that will be hard to peg back."

Balding added: “He had some very good form last year and on the best of his form he was certainly overpriced, things worked out well for him today and hopefully we can get him in the Wokingham (at Royal Ascot) now.”

Liberty has the answers

Racing in the smaller of the two groups proved no hindrance to Liberty Lane (9/1) and Dutch Decoy as the pair fought out the finish of the William Hill Suffolk Stakes.

For much of the nine furlongs, it appeared as though 9/2 favourite Torito was ideally positioned on the flanks of Killybegs Warrior at the head of the larger group but Dutch Decoy and Liberty Lane took a couple of lengths out of their rivals when the pace quickened.

Torito closed them down as he edged across the track but he was never getting there as Liberty Lane proved too strong in the closing stages banishing memories of a disappointing return in the Lincoln; winning by a length and three quarters.

Winning trainer Karl Burke said: "He came back sick from the Lincoln, he scoped very dirty afterwards and was a sick horse for two or three weeks. The only reason I ran him today was because Sheikh Obaid was going to be here and it was a £100,000 race, we'd entered earlier and he was just coming back to himself.

"It's a pleasant surprise. I thought he'd run well but I didn't expect that. The key to this horse is that he's learnt to relax in his races now, he's always been very keen. He ran here behind Ed Walker's horse in a Derby trial last year, then I ran him in the Dante and he ran too free and he still led the Dante field to a furlong and a half out.

"Today Cliff (Lee, jockey) gave him a lovely ride, got him in a great rhythm, and he showed what he can do but he will improve."

Surprise Questions in the Palace

The proverbial blanket would have covered seven runners as they crossed the line in the William Hill Palace House Stakes but it was Seven Questions (33/1) - wearing cheekpieces for the first time - who narrowly prevailed.

Fillies Vadream, who won last year, and the three-year-old Beautiful Diamond filled the places with Twilight Calls, last early, coming home strongly after being switched to finish fourth.

Seven Questions had a busy juvenile season, running nine times - including two third-placed finishes in Group 2 company - before taking his chance in Dubai in the winter. He cut little ice in three starts at Meydan but proved that he could be a force this season with a strong finish to claim this Group 2 prize by a head.

"He's not the easiest in the preliminaries," admitted trainer George Scott. "He spent the night at Newmarket in the stables because we found when he comes out of his environment into a racing environment he gets very upset. We saddled him about an hour before and then he came down all guns blazing."

Jockey Callum Shepherd added: "Coming out of the chute he went left, he knows where home is.

"In fairness I think he's a lot more straightforward than he was last year; other than that he behaved impeccably so I think in that regard, he's certainly going the right way. He deserved this on what he did last year, he was unlucky in the Mill Reef and ran very well in Dubai on his first start; when he's at his best he's good."

Interviewer Tom Stanley put it to the winning connections that Seven Questions was at his best when fresh and Scott admitted that his charge may now go straight to Royal Ascot although his ultimate target is to be decided.

King of the hill

Maxi King (6/1) completed a long-range hat-trick when holding off the challenge of favourite Real Dream in the William Hill Epic Boost Handicap with the pair finishing clear of the remainder.

Successful on his first start for Dominic Ffrench Davis on April Fools' Day 2023, Maxi King wasn't sighted again until April of this year when running out a ready winner on testing ground at Ripon.

He proved equally adept over this longer trip and under quicker conditions but jockey David Egan revealed conditions had been a concern.

"The ground was a bit quick for Mr Profressor and this lad ran on similar conditions last time as it was when he broke his maiden so you've always got a slight concern," he said. "By halfway I was really comfortable, I thought the pace wasn't overly strong so I was happy to let him stride on just inside the four and felt he got first run and kept on all the way up the hill.

"He's a horse who has over-travelled in the past and even though the pace was slow I was conscious to make sure he switched off and (to) get in behind but he's took it all up in his stride and the step up in trip definitely helped."

Delight for Cox

Clive Cox had earlier saddled Ghostwriter to finish fourth in the 2000 Guineas but was in the first spot in the winner's enclosure to greet James' Delight (16/1) after a game success in the six furlong handicap.

There were four in contention as they hit the rising ground but the top-weight ran on well for Richard Kingscote to relegate Two Tribes and Shagraan to the minor places; the winning margin was a length and a quarter.

"He won very impressively first time out this year and it was on ground that looked a little bit favourable on the rails that day and he took a fair hike in the handicap," Cox said.

"He loves the soft-ground. We ran him in the Greenham which was too ambitious but there wasn't a lot else at the time and we thought we'd take out chance.

"Dropping back to six, he's a proper sprinter and he just powers up that hill, very honest and very genuine. It was a big effort today with top-weight, it was a very impressive performance and on a better surface it gives me more confidence that he can keep progressing over six."

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