Bolster was among the handicap winners on Oaks day at Epsom
Epsom Oaks day review and free video replays
By Sporting Life
18:05 · FRI May 31, 2024
A review of the undercard from Epsom Downs on Oaks Day with free video replays.
The A Team
Teej A (7/2) made the best of her way home to win the Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes for Karl Burke and Clifford Lee.
It was a rough start to the six furlong contest with favourite New Charter a notable sufferer but Teej A was quickly into stride and obtained a good position behind the early leaders. New Charter recovered to sit a little further back against the rail but was never able to get involved.
In contrast, Teej A picked up well while the pacesetters weakened and it was left to the outpaced Megalithic to give the winner most to do as the second stayed on strongly from off the pace without ever threatening to overhaul her.
A length and a quarter and a length and three quarters were the winning distances with Tanager taking third at 22/1.
Lee told ITV Racing: "She's very quick, she jumps the gates lovely and I was in the right position, tracking the pace and she travelled very well into it.
"She's done this quite nicely and she'll learn and take a step forward from that."
Teej A ridden by Clifford Lee (right) on their way to winning
Syndicate owner Nick Bradley added: "I thought she was special after Chester.
"I thought Cliff gave her a great ride, didn't panic, hit the front at the right time. If I could win anywhere it would be here on this day. I just love the atmosphere, it's not too busy, everyone knows their racing, I just think it's a really great meeting and they do a great job of looking after people.
"I don't know (if Teej A will run at Royal Ascot). There's a race in France the week before over six furlongs, I've got a filly in there already; maybe we could go Albany. I'll have a think."
Betfair Sportsbook make Teej A a 16/1 chance for the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot next month.
The winning trainer added: “The great thing about her is since Chester she has grown up behind, I really noticed it in the paddock and she has another few inches to grow I think, so there is a bit of scope there for the future. I thought Clifford kicked on 100 yards quicker than he needed to and I thought she would get collared by Ralph’s horse in the last furlong, but to be fair to her she stuck to her guns and did it well. I was delighted with her and she was tough in the last 100 yards.
“I would be looking at races like the Cheveley Park later in the year and giving her a chance to really fulfil her potential.”
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Temptation hard to resist
Dancing Magic was withdrawn ahead of the Trustatrader Handicap after unseating Rossa Ryan on the way to post leaving a field of 15 to face the starter over the extended mile. They served up a thrilling renewal with Two Tempting (12/1) just doing enough to keep the challenge of Beshtani at bay.
The well backed winner stole a march on his rivals under David Egan inside the final two but Beshtani and James Doyle had made inroads passing the one and continued to close on the five-year-old. It even appeared as though Beshtani may have hit the front yards from the line but Two Tempting forced his head back in front to earn the call after recourse to the judge.
Al Mubhir was back in third with Notre Elle Bete fourth while favourite Koy Koy hung on the cambers when challenging and didn't appear to handle the track.
Egan admitted he got to the front sooner than ideal, saying: "I got there a week too soon. Mr Portman (trainer) told me not to get there too soon but we had a nice position and had the option of going up the inside and saving all the ground and I thought it was the right time to go and thankfully he actually found a bit more when the other horse came to me."
Two Tempting (right, blue cap) clings on from Beshtani
Portman revealed he was anxious watching the race unfold, commenting: "He was exactly where I didn't want him to be really!
"I hate it when they come down the inside like that but he was handy - which we asked him to be - and then he just got a bit keen and I was worried that he would have no choice but to get there too soon. This horse has been in amazing form all season and this has been his year really.
"It's great for the yard. Everyone has worked very hard through all the rain during the winter. It's great. This was the plan."
Hamad Al Jehani, a former champion trainer in Qatar, was delighted with Beshtani.
He said: "It's amazing to be here at Epsom, one of the best tracks in the world and for sure the hardest place . It was his first run for me and my first runner at Epsom, but I'm sure not my last. We felt he might not handle the ground very well so he surprised me how he challenged the winner to the line and be beaten just a small head I think. He ran very well and he'll hopefully go to Royal Ascot next for the Hunt Cup.
"It's amazing to be training here in England and challenging the best trainers in the world."
Paddy Power cut Beshtani to 16/1 from 50/1 for the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot.
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Bolster makes all
Bolster (5/1) made every yard in the hands of Pierre-Louis Jamin in the Betfred Nifty 50 Handicap.
They had Sweet Reward for company in the early exchanges but left that rival trailing in their wake in the straight. Haunted Dream, who stumbled leaving stalls, came down the outside to give chase but he was passed by Paradias who stayed on stoutly to finish second with Derry Lad coming from a long way back to finish third.
Bolster was completing a double for Burke and is now two from two after joining the yard from the Crisfords.
Jamin said: "My first winner on Derby weekend, it's great.
"Karl gave me a free hand. He said you can either make it or sit right behind the leaders and I thought I can make my own pace and if he's good enough he'll go and do it. I hope he’s at least a Group Three horse; every time they came to him, he’d go again. These conditions are definitely what he wants - Good to Soft or Soft is perfect for him.”
Burke, who has now passed £1million in prize money for the season, added: "He joined us from Simon Crisford's last year. He's obviously a horse with a lot of potential, he won his first two races for Simon very, very well and I presume he got injured; he came to us on the back of a couple of operations on his front joints and we just had to take our time with him and he's done nothing wrong. He's obviously a high class horse.
"To come to this meeting and to have two winners is brilliant. Pierre gave him a great ride. I was a bit worried tactically, we wanted to go forward but the horses drawn 1 and 2 were both front runners. I said to Pierre down the side you've got to make it a flat out pace and if they leave you alone in front which happened, I don't know why they didn't go forward but obviously they had different tactics, so that worked well.
“I don’t like running two nice horses like that against each other, but they both want these conditions and this trip (Burke also saddled 9/2 favourite Liberty Lane). Both of them will have entries in the John Smith’s - well, maybe not Bolster now; I think the handicapper might have his cut at that - but Liberty Lane will be entered in the John Smith’s and if it came up right for him, that would be a nice race for him.”
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Evade edges out Native American
Doyle had been beaten in a tight finish aboard Beshtani and suffered another narrow reverse in the same colours when Evade (10/1) refused to give second best in the Aston Martin Surrey Stakes.
The two had the seven furlong Listed contest between them in the closing stages and Native American had the rail to help but Evade, who missed a beat at the start, refused to lie down and kept responding for Oisin Murphy, crossing the line a short-head to the good.
Balmacara was fully 9 lengths back in third.
The winner was having his first start for Archie Watson and first in Britain having previously been trained by Andre Fabre in France.
A stewards' enquiry was belatedly called after Doyle objected to the winner but, reportedly, changed his mind after viewing the head-on replay in the stewards' room and withdrew his objection. The enquiry was, therefore, cancelled.
Murphy said: “It was very good training by Archie and the horse clearly has a big engine. Hopefully, he'll come forward too. I know the Oaks winner came from behind, but I think the track is suiting horses who are on the pace and it probably played to his advantage. He's very difficult at home but Michael Murphy, the ex-jockey who won on Battaash at Bath, has done a great job on him.”
David Redvers, Racing Manager to owners Qatar Racing, said: “He’s a very talented horse, Evade. Bred at Monceau, trained initially by Andre Fabre. There was some question about him running a bit free last year at the end of his two-year-old career. Sheikh Fahad decided he needed to come to England where there would be more pace on in the races.
“What he doesn’t enjoy is sitting in a typical French crawling sprint, so it was a very good call by the boss. Archie has done an outstanding job. He’s got the horse to settle, he’s got him fit and ready - I think there will be plenty of improvement as well. We had big hopes - it’s a rare thing for me to back a Qatar horse, but I backed him today because he was a ridiculous price.
“He’ll go to the Jersey Stakes now, and hopefully he’s back on track. British racing suits him - he needs an end-to-end gallop so he can settle, rather than fight against a slow pace. I don’t think it would matter if the ground was rocket-fast or slower - I don’t think the ground is an issue.”
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Lucky last for Doyle
Doyle's fortunes finally took a turn for the better when he guided Rhoscolyn (9/1) to victory in the Molson Coors Handicap.
It looked for much of the straight as though the top-weight, winner of this race in 2021, wasn't going to get any racing room but he eventually got out and gave chase to The X O who had raced around two lengths clear.
Favourite Mission To Moon also endured a rough race but was another to pick up well - despite not looking entirely happy on the course - passing The X O to claim second.
The winning margins were one and three quarter lengths and a head.
“It’s been a hit and miss day, but that’s the way it goes, that’s racing,” said Doyle.
“He obviously won this a few years ago for me when it was a bit wetter, but he was good today because we didn’t get much luck in running so I just had to be patient.
“He’s a smart horse, this is his bag, seven furlongs and a good draw coming off a good pace.”
Winning trainer David O’Meara added: “It looked for a long way like he was getting some traffic problems, but he’s best on a track like this, like a Goodwood or Epsom seven furlongs, a bit of ease in the ground, downhill over seven furlongs sort of brings out the best in him.
“James said once he got out he was very strong to the line. He’s a grand horse; he wants a little bit of cut in the ground, and for ages we ran him over a mile thinking he was fine, and he wasn’t - holding him up to get the mile - but here and Goodwood over seven, and he ran well in a Buckingham Palace Stakes, actually. It’s great for the Dixon lads and their followers.
“We may well go back to the Buckingham Palace - I will see what Chris and Martin (Dixon, owners) want to do.”
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