Reports and free video replays from day one of Cambridgeshire meeting at Newmarket

The Waco Kid powers to Tattersalls triumph

The Waco Kid kept his rivals at bay with an accomplished run to make all in the Group Three Tattersalls Stakes at Newmarket.

Jockey Oisin Murphy immediately grabbed the inside rail at the start of the seven-furlong contest and looked comfortable setting the early pace.

The Hugo Palmer-trained juvenile remained at arm’s length from his five rivals before Hamad Al Jehani’s Diego Ventura and market leader Monumental, representing Aidan O’Brien, made their charge after the halfway mark.

They closed the gap inside the final two furlongs but just as they looked to be reeling in The Waco Kid, he found an extra gear to streak clear.

The 13/2 shot claimed victory by two and quarter lengths to inflict Diego Ventura’s first defeat as he secured place honours with Monumental in third.

Palmer said: “I think he’s very typical of the stallion and Mehmas seems to be taking the mantle of Kodiac and you would always think if someone sent you a Kodiac, there was a ready-made winner for next year and I feel the same about Mehmas as well. They are just so tough and go on every ground.

“This has to be a career best and I think what is lovely about this horse is he has produced career best after career best on every start.

“He’s not the biggest in the world and we’ve tried to make as much of his two-year-old season as we can and I’m absolutely delighted.

“He probably deserves a step up in grade but I suspect I’ve made the most terrible mess of it because he did have nice entries. I think after he was only Listed third and I needed to confirm for the Dewhurst and that sort of thing, I probably took him out and out of the Lagardere as well.

“There’s the Group One in France, the Criterium International, we might go there, but we will see. Saint-Cloud would look his bag but he is not the biggest and he is in the horses in training sale at the end of the month.

“We will just have to look at dates and he is likely to be one of Tattersalls’ star lots there. The Breeders’ Cup could be an option as well, but we will just have to see.

“This is the second iteration of the owners syndicate (Gene Genies)and the first one will wind up this year and not be profitable but if we could sell this lad well, then it would have been a profitable syndicate and we can start buying horses for next year’s syndicate as well.

“I’m sure we will run again and we have five weeks before Tattersalls get their hands on him.”

Murphy said: “Hugo felt it was a good opportunity today and said I should make more use of him and maybe grab the rail.

“It’s rare he has an instruction but he really made it worthwhile and I’m delighted to get the job done.

“He looked like on his last run he would appreciate being ridden prominently and he was a simple ride. He has really improved for racing and training.”

Al Jehani was satisfied with Diego Ventura’s effort on a move up in class.

He said: “I was very happy with him and it was his first time in a stakes race.

“To run in that company of horse and be second or third favourite on his third time out, it shows he does his job very well.

“He handled the seven furlongs very well and the ground was very nice for him. We will see how he is after a couple of days and make a plan for him.

“I think he deserves to run again at this level. When he won at Ascot last time, he showed that he can be a stakes horse and the seven furlongs today was very suitable for him. We were happy to see him finish with a big heart.”

Al Nayyir books Ascot ticket with dominant Bowl performance

Al Nayyir laid down a marker to his potential Champions Day rivals after coasting to victory in the Jockey Club Rose Bowl Stakes. The six-year-old was a short-head second in the Group Two Lonsdale Cup at York on his debut for Tom Clover last month, but he justified his tag as 11/8 favourite in the Listed contest at Newmarket with the comfortable triumph.

Aidan O’Brien’s Fighter was bidding to complete a hat-trick in the two-mile race and occupied the pace-setting role.

However, jockey Luke Morris cruised through a gap with ease before stretching Al Nayyir’s advantage with every stride.

Harbour Wind, representing Dermot Weld, made his initial move alongside the eventual winner but finished eight lengths behind in the runner-up spot.

Al Nayyir is now 7/1 from 16s with Paddy Power for the British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot next month.

“He did it really nicely and he is a very exciting stayer and I couldn’t be more thrilled by the way he won there, he did it hard held didn’t he,” said Clover.

“We’ve got him in on Champions Day and I imagine that will be the logical step, but I would just love to avoid Kyprios if we could, that would be nice.

“It’s impossible to know if he could put it up to Kyprios, but he does look very classy and the way he ran at York, he came from a long way back and hit the line strongly. You would love to see them have a match at some point. We’re all sports fans and it would be great to see.”

He went on: “He is a very exciting horse for us and I’m just pleased for the owner and very grateful for their support. He’s one of our highest-rated horses and we love having these stakes horses.

“He ran a huge race at York and just seems to be improving. He didn’t get a smack and to win any stakes race by that distance is exciting. He’s a lovely horse and by Dubawi, they tend to improve with time and age and hopefully he will keep progressing.

“The form at York with Vauban looks strong and he has placed at Group One level previously and probably deserves to win one at some stage.”

While Ascot is an immediate consideration, Al Nayyir could head to Dubai again over the winter months.

Clover added: “The plan is to go to Dubai and the owner is very keen to go, and I would love to go as well. Fingers crossed we can get him out there and we would love to go there this winter.

“There’s some great prize money in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. I’m just thrilled the horse has got his head in front today, he deserved to win a race and he’s gone and done it in the style we hoped and hopefully now we can roll on to our next race in a few weeks’ time.

“He hasn’t had much of a race there today, so hopefully he comes out of it fine and we can go there with plenty to look forward to.”

Weld, who made the trip across the Irish Sea to Suffolk, was delighted with Harbour Wind’s performance and is also eyeing Ascot.

“He’s run his usual excellent race and he’s never finished outside of the first two in his life,” he said.

“Fair play to the winner, he looks a high-class stayer. He came into the race rated 114 and he has probably run way above 114 in my opinion.

“I would say we would head to Champions Day. We will review it with the owner and discuss his plan and I would say the ground was a bit too deep for him there today.”

Beckett youngster cruises into Derby reckoning

Seacruiser has connections dreaming of Classic glory after opening his account at Newmarket.

Ralph Beckett’s son of Sea The Stars cost 200,000 guineas as a yearling, but suffered interference when a beaten favourite at Goodwood on his debut.

He was again sent off the market leader, this time at odds of 11/8 for the Rossdales British EBF Maiden Stakes on the Rowley Mile, only on this occasion there were no traffic issues, as Rossa Ryan set sail from the off and made every yard to hold off Charlie Appleby’s Present Times by a length and a quarter.

He was left unchanged at 50-1 for next year’s Derby by Paddy Power, but he is unlikely to be given chance to further enhance his Classic claims this term, with connections hinting they will enjoy this maiden success and then begin to look ahead to next season.

“I don’t think he will race again this year. Marc and Ralph will decide that, but I don’t think so,” said Jamie McCalmont, racing manager to owner Marc Chan.

“He was always going to be next year’s horse and he has done what he has to now. We will probably put him away now and begin to dream about different things. I’m just really pleased to see him win today.”

Olympus on Point for Appleby

Also obliging favourite backers was Charlie Appleby’s Olympus Point, who opened his account as the 6/4 favourite in the Federation Of Bloodstock Agents Nursery Handicap.

Placed in all three starts prior to this event, the son of Earthlight appeared to enjoy both the step up to a mile and the underfoot conditions in the hands of William Buick.

“He’s run some nice races and I was just saying to Will (Buick) that stepping up to a mile seems to have helped him,” said Alex Merriam, assistant trainer to Appleby.

“On his pedigree, it wouldn’t be screaming he wants a mile but he did it quite nicely I thought.

“Hopefully now he has got his head in front, he will keep progressing and we will see where we go. I suppose he could (join our Dubai Carnival team) but he has gone on the soft ground there, so there is no reason to not keep him going if he goes through it.”

Starlight shines for Tuer

Trainer Grant Tuer, jockey Sam James and owners Nick Bradley Racing combined to win their second valuable handicap in as many days as Sophia’s Starlight (13/2) showed a game attitude to land the British Stallion Studs EBF Premier Fillies’ Handicap to add to their big winner at Goodwood on Wednesday with Love Talk.

The forward-going four-year-old held off the closing pack with real fighting spirit to return to the scoresheet for the first time since last season’s Great St Wilfrid.

James said: “She has had a few niggly issues throughout the year, but Grant, to be fair to him, thought she was in good form coming here today and she loves that bit of juice in the ground which helps. She was tough today and did it well.

“She’s had a little freshen up and I don’t think she’s the easiest filly to keep right and they do a very good job with her at home. She likes this soft ground and hopefully now they can have a bit of fun with her.

“It’s good of Nick (Bradley) to put me back up on her after my suspension so it’s nice to repay him with a couple of winners the last couple of days.”

Hugo Palmer’s Wonder Kid (7/2) appears to have booked his ticket to the track’s bet365 Old Rowley Cup Handicap with a facile success in the Graham Budd Horseracing Memorabilia Handicap, while Mick Appleby and Tom Marquand combined in the concluding Ultimate Provence Handicap with 6/5 favourite Terries Royale.

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