Epsom Saturday review: Tees Spirit emotional winner of Dash
By Sporting Life
18:36 · SAT June 04, 2022
A review of the action from Saturday's meeting at Epsom where Tees Spirit was an emotional winner of the Dash.
Emotional scenes as Spirit wins Dash
Adrian Nicholls achieved the remarkable feat of both training and riding a winner of the Simpex Express ‘Dash’ Handicap as Tees Spirit made most to land the ultra-competitive sprint in the hands of Barry McHugh.
Having ridden Rudi’s Pet to success for his father David ‘Dandy’ Nicholls in 2002, Tees Spirit’s victory continued the family’s long association with the race, with Nicholls senior being successful five times between 1997 and 2009.
Tees Spirit was away well under McHugh and quickly grabbed the stands rail from 6-1 favourite Live In The Dream and the four-year-old never left that spot as he remained prominent all the way to the line.
He dug deep where it mattered most to prevail by a head from 50-1 shot Mountain Peak, who at one stage appeared the most likely winner of a typically rough renewal of this helter-skelter five-furlong event.
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The game performance of the 10/1 winner was made even more special as it came on the five-year anniversary of the death of Nicholls’ father.
Nicholls said: “My old man loved it down here and I was lucky enough to win one for him. At the start of every year, he would always try to plan them out. When this lad won at Beverley, Baz (McHugh) was quite keen to go to Newcastle for the Gosforth Park Cup. I was adamant, especially after Nottingham, I was coming here.
“Everyone can see he is clearly improving. Baz has done an excellent job on him and Claire, my wife, rides him out and we are a small team. To come down here on a Derby day and win, I took it for granted when I was lucky enough – I wasn’t the best of riders – to ride the old man’s horses. I took it for granted riding these good horses, who are good horses. Now training them, I really appreciate what he actually did. He was a genius.”
He added: “It was five years ago to this day that he died, so it was quite poignant. I needed a little bit of help – I don’t know if anyone believes in all of that, but we’ve come down here and won and it is unbelievable. I always wanted to make him proud. To win a Dash, you can’t do much more. He always used to say it is our kind of Derby, as we never had any mile-and-a-half horses.”
Dettori strikes on Magellan
Frankie Dettori rode his first winner of the meeting aboard Magellan (9/2) in the Cazoo Diomed Stakes.
He was always handy aboard John and Thady Gosden's charge and in control through the closing stages, beating Modern News by a length.
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Gosden senior said: “He won a Group Three last year and then he ran at ParisLongchamp where the ground was too soft. You have got to get your ground right. Good to soft or good to firm is fine for him.
“We are pleased with him, he is a grand horse. The plan was if he broke well, we should let him enjoy himself and when you are running down that hill, you don’t want to be taken back too much.
“This is probably spot-on his trip – a mile and one (furlong) or a mile and a sixteenth as the Americans say. A hard-run mile and a quarter in testing ground is too far for him.
“This would be a highlight for him – Derby Day, winning the Diomed. We are thrilled. We will look at a Group Two mile for him, that will be the next plan. We will look everywhere for one of those – it might be in France, it might be in England.”
Dettori added: “He didn’t handle Chester at all and so today we got him in front and he enjoyed himself. He is a good horse on his day and we tried to go a mile and a quarter, but it was a step too far. Back to a mile will be good for him.”
Poignant win for Bashkirova
On an afternoon when the Cazoo Derby was run in the memory of Lester Piggott, Bashkirova ran out a poignant winner of the Princess Elizabeth Stakes.
Trained by the late jockey's son-in-law William Haggas, and with his daughter Maureen in attendance, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned four-year-old quickly settled matters at the furlong pole.
She went clear there under Tom Marquand and was never in danger thereafter, beating Potapova, in the owner's first colours, by a length-and-a-quarter.
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Speaking to Racing TV, the Newmarket trainer said of his father-in-law: “It seems that everyone has got an ‘L Piggott’ story, which is wonderful. It’s a sad time.
“I hope we will have a celebration of his life later, but at the moment it’s a very poignant time. It’s been very sad.”
On the winner he added: “We’re blessed, we knew at the start of the year we had a strong squad of four-year-olds and at the minute they are doing very well. The Duke of Cambridge (at Royal Ascot) is only 10 days away so we’ll see. I wouldn’t rule it out, we’ll see what the ground is like as that is important to her.
“She tries very hard. She’s four, if you look after them when they are young you reap the benefit when they are four and more.
Bashkirova is a poignant winner
“I need to sort a few fillies out this year. I’m not 100 per cent sure what her trip is, I did run her over 10 furlongs last year but it was at the end of the season so I’m not sure it was a true reflection. I do think she’ll get a bit further.”
Haggas also reserved some praise for his jockey.
He said: “He’s very strong and at the moment he’s full of confidence and I’ve been saying it for ages I can’t believe he doesn’t get six rides at every meeting. His ride on Alenquer was nothing short of sensational.”
Flying start for Masekela team
The team behind Masekela in the Cazoo Derby made the perfect start to the day when Swilcan Bridge (7/1) landed the opening Cazoo Handicao.
Owned by Mick and Janice Mariscotti and trained by Andrew Balding, the son of Helmet stayed on gamely in the closing stages to hold off the late challenge of the fast-finishing Grenoble (25/1) by a head under Hayley Turner.
There was drama before the start of the race when William Buick was struck in the face by a rival horse in the stalls and parted company with Blue Trail as they opened. The 4/1 chance was deemed a non-runner.
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Balding said: “Hayley did a great job on him, because it was all a little bit confusing with the loose horse [Blue Trail]. She had him in the perfect position and got him rolling early enough, which I think was the difference between winning and losing. I was thrilled with the ride and thrilled with the horse.
“He handled the course well. He had a run here earlier in the year and had run very well at Goodwood last time out. He crept into the Royal Hunt Cup, actually, today, but when you’ve got the opportunity to run for this sort of prize-money, if he’s going to take a 10lb hike it doesn’t matter. You’re just thrilled to have a winner on Derby Day.”
Asked if there was more improvement to come from Swilcan Bridge, Balding replied: “Very much so. His only physical development has really only come over the past two months. He’s a joy to train and could keep on improving.”
Swilcan Bridge wins at Epsom
Rest of the action
Midnights Legacy (3/1 favourite) battled to get back up and score by a nose in a photo-finish to the World Pool Northern Dancer Handicap, staged over the full Derby course and distance of a mile and a half.
Winning trainer Alan King said:“It seemed to go wrong the whole way because we didn’t expect to be out the back and I was watching the big screen so I couldn’t see very much, but the gap seemed to come anyway! “I’d imagine Ascot would come a bit quick for him, so I’m not sure what’s next.”
The concluding contest of The Cazoo Derby 2022 was the six-furlong JRA Tokyo Trophy Handicap, which went the way of the John Quinn-trained Mr Wagyu (7/1), who took the honours by a short-head from the fast-finishing Full Authority (14/1).
Winning rider Jason Hart said: “I thought I’d got there in perfect time and then I thought Hollie (Doyle, rider of Full Authority) had come and done me but he’s gutsy and it just helped today that he was able to get a clean run.
“Me and the boss won this race a few years ago (with Reputation in 2017), so it seems to be a habit!
"Probably one of his best runs was third in the Ayr Gold Cup, and he obviously won the consolation race at Goodwood. He's a thoroughly likeable horse and he's given his owners a hell of a lot of fun."
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