York review and free video replays from day three of the Sky Bet Ebor Festival

Value Bet strikes again with 33/1 winner

Matt Brocklebank’s Value Bet selection Canoodled returned a 25/1 winner (advised win-only at 33/1) of the Assured Data Protection EBF Fillies' Handicap at York on Friday.

She travelled well under rising star Billy Loughnane and, after being ridden to lead over a furlong out, found plenty in the closing stages to see off Bint Al Daar (20/1) by a length and a half.

Al Anoud (6/1) ran well from close to the pace but had no answers late on, though still held third from the running-on Zenjabeela (28/1). Sound Angela (28/1) was fifth.

Ed Walker, recording his third winner of this year’s Ebor Festival following a double on Thursday, said of his latest success: “It was amazing, a real pleasant surprise.

"She’s a funny filly, she’s quirky and a bit of rain last night helped. She was going up in trip and she jumped, so it’s great.

“We will try and get some black type in the autumn with her, like we did last year. We’ve had an amazing couple of days, it’s sort of pinch yourself stuff really. It is one of the hardest meetings in the world, so it’s amazing.”

Cool Hoof Luke guns down Gimcrack rivals

Cool Hoof Luke (8/1) provided a fairytale story when the 20,000 Euro purchase wore down his rivals late on to land the £250,000 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes.

The son of Advertise had some solid form to his name, having been fourth in the Coventry and third in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, but produced another improved performance in this Group 2 contest under Oisin Murphy.

Molecomb winner Big Mojo was outpaced early as The Strikin Viking helped set a strong gallop, but moved through to challenge for the lead two furlongs from home.

However, Murphy always had the eventual fourth in his sights, and the Andrew Balding-trained colt was able to fend off the determined challenge of Shadow of Light (6/1), who stayed on powerfully for second, ahead of Symbol of Strength who massively outperformed his 80/1 starting price in a close-up third.

The 3/1 favourite Camille Pissarro was well-held.

Reaction from winning connections

Balding was represented by his wife, Anna Lisa, who said: “He’s a big horse, a big two-year-old. It doesn’t always happen, but it happened and it’s just fantastic.

“You look at him and you think he’s going to be a better three-year-old, we weren’t sure about the trip, it was going to be a question mark today – he’s bred to be a sprinter, looks like a seven-furlong horse – and again, the trainer got it right.

“I think we were a bit disappointed at Goodwood, but he came back and won the right one today.

“Andrew will be making the decisions, but it is exciting.”

Reaction from beaten connections

Of the runner-up, Charlie Appleby’s assistant Alex Merriam said: “We’re happy. That was his first step up into Group company and it is a big step up. I think he’s probably learned a lot, he’s run his race, but he just got beaten by one better on the day.

“I think the trip is fine for him, he’ll stick at six for now, but he just got beat by one on the day.

“I did just say to Charlie, though, that it looks good for Aomori City as he beat the winner at Goodwood, so we’ll take that.

“We can’t complain, it’s only his third run and first in Group company.”

Adrian Keatley had been keen on the chance of Symbol Of Strength and felt he was vindicated.

He said: “I’d like to think I’ve been looking at them long enough now to know when we’ve got a good one, but I was starting to doubt myself when I saw he was the outsider of the field yesterday. I thought that was ridiculous.

“He’s a good horse, he’ll have no problems getting seven furlongs and next year maybe even a mile, he’s got scope and will grow a bit, we think a lot of him and the sky is the limit.

“He’s in the Mill Reef and that will probably be the target, he’s also in the Middle Park, but we’ll go to the Mill Reef as long as the ground is not too soft.”

Vauban back to form in the Lonsdale

The Willie Mullins-trained Vauban (11/2), who is best known for his exploits over hurdles, bounced back to his best to land the Group 2 Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup Stakes.

Held up by jockey William Buick off the strong pace set by eventual third Gregory (5/2), Vauban had to be committed for home quite early as he hit the front going well nearly two furlongs from home.

Al Nayyir (33/1) made up late ground to close to within an eventual short-head, but in truth never looked like picking up the former Triumph Hurdle winner who didn’t do much once hitting the front.

The 2/1 favourite Point Lonsdale was prominent for a long way, but, along with Night Sparkle who looked a danger three furlongs from home, was easily brushed aside when the race developed late on.

Vauban has reverted to the Flat with notable success over the past couple of seasons, winning at Royal Ascot and at Group Three level last summer before disappointing as a hot favourite for the Melbourne Cup in November.

Paddy Power cut the winner to 10-1 from 14-1 to win the Melbourne Cup at Flemington at the second time of asking on November 5.

Reaction from winning connections

Winning owner Rich Ricci said: “The ticket for Australia is not quite booked, but it has been our intention all season and we said we’d work back from the Melbourne Cup.

“I don’t know what Willie wants to do next, he’s got an entry in the Irish St Leger but Melbourne still remains the plan, we’ll see what the handicapper does.

“He was very good today, he was ready to rock, he looked a picture and showed a great turn of foot.

“William thought he probably got there a little too soon, but he also said he was idling a bit in front.

“I wanted to see him run through the line today because I’ve had my niggles about the trip and he got it – just! That’s brilliant.

“Willie called me before the race and that does not happen very often unless there is something wrong. He said we had no excuse today and thought he’d go very close.

“His first run this year here (at York) was great, he ran a huge race in the Gold Cup but he just didn’t stay and then at the Curragh it probably came a bit soon.

“We learned a lot from Australia last year; we did things different than in the past, we’d always gone in the second shipment and run later than he did. I just said to the team, ‘let’s start with Melbourne, let him tell us he’s not able to go and work back from that’.

“His two targets were the Gold Cup and today and I guess he’ll go in the second shipment again.”

Reaction from beaten connections

Regarding the 33-1 runner-up, trainer Tom Clover commented: “He’s a new horse for us, but he shaped up well in his home work and we were looking forward to running him.

“We couldn’t quite believe the price he was, he has some very good form and he’s got a very high rating.

“He has (run to his mark), he had one blip perhaps last time out, but his run in Dubai was very, very good. He’s a very good horse by a very good sire and hopefully he can go one better very soon.

“Not too sure (what next), we have him in a couple of places; one in France and obviously one on Champions Day, so we will have to discuss with the owners.

“He was very resolute, he saw the race out very strong and hopefully he’s a horse we can think about travelling with in the winter. It would be lovely if he can get his head in front in Group company first.”

John Gosden was far from downbeat about Gregory’s third-place effort, stating: “Really happy with him, he ran a super race. He probably could have dealt with some pace in front of him, he stays so well.

“I’m very happy with him, but we’d expected someone quick to go on, so he ended up doing the work in front. He’s run a solid race.

“We might put him away for the Cadran, we will see what the ground is, as he does like the ground on top.

“We will see what we get, if it’s bottomless then we might wait for next year.”

Dance gets up in the Shadow of the post

Shadow Dance (6/1) left it late but managed to reel in long-time leader Dark Moon Rising in the opening race on Friday, the Sky Bet Handicap.

The mount of James Doyle was never too far from the pace but looked at one time to be struggling to pick up the Kevin Ryan-trained front-runner.

However, as Shane Gray's mount started to hang left late on as he tired, Shadow Dance managed to hit the front, before fending off the late lunge of Lieber Power (7/1) who had come from further back and had to settle for a never-nearer second.

Dark Moon Rising (28/1) held on for third from Mr Monaco (5/1) in fourth.

Reaction from winning connections

“Winners at the biggest meetings is what it’s all about. He’s a homebred and he’s a lovely horse. He’s got a big heart and a lot of stamina, and he needed every inch of the trip today,” winning trainer Roger Varian said.

“We came into the year very hopeful with this horse, he didn’t have a great spring and I ran him at Royal Ascot in the Duke of Edinburgh, he wasn’t quite right that day.

“But the run at Ripon was a step in the right direction, and he should go on and have a good autumn.

“If you looked at the entries, he was in four places this weekend. Today was as quick as he wants and maybe that little rain last night just took the sting out of the ground. We came to the right race.”

Treasure Time finished with a flourish to provide proud Yorkshireman William Haggas with a birthday winner in the concluding Sky Bet Mile Handicap.

Volterra and Mount Teide were the two to the fore as the race heated up inside the final two furlongs, but Tom Marquand decided to play his cards late aboard 13/2 shot Treasure Time and it paid off, with the three-year-old powering home to get up and beat the former by a length.

Haggas, opening his account for the week on his 64th birthday, said: “I felt he had a nice trip today, everything went smoothly and I thought he did well to win. He finished well, he stayed the mile well and I’m very pleased.

“He’s a bonny horse, he’s not very big but he has a great brain. He doesn’t need any training now he’s fit, he’s a great performer.

“It’s been an awful week. I’m really pleased with that, but it’s been a tough week for us.”

Angelo Buonarroti went some way to recouping his seven-figure purchase price with a determined victory in the British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes.

The chestnut son of American Triple Crown hero Justify cost Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing operation €1,000,000 at the Arqana Breeze-Up sale in May and was thrown in at the deep end when making his competitive debut in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Having shaped with promise in being beaten just three lengths into ninth place, Angelo Buonarroti was a 2/1 favourite to come out on top in a maiden with a huge prize fund of £100,000 on the Knavesmire and knuckled down well under a positive ride from David Egan to score by a length and a quarter.

The winner was making his first start for Ralph Beckett after moving from Raphael Freire’s yard since his Royal Ascot outing.

“I was kind of lucky, as he got a stone bruise before the maiden at Goodwood he was supposed to run in and I had to scratch him. The extra time probably was a positive and the track suited him better than Goodwood would have done,” said Beckett.

“He’s a good horse, we kind of knew that already, it just depends on how far we go now. He could go a mile this year, I think it will be within his scope, but I don’t know whether he needs to yet.

“I don’t know if we’ll go straight into a Group race, we might go for the Flying Scotsman (Listed race at Doncaster) and work our way up. It just depends on how we feel.”

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