3 minute read
Shouldvebeenaring justified some lumpy bets when getting up late to win the £250,000 Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes at York.
A winner at Ripon on his second start, he was backed into 5-2 favouritism despite a field of 19 heading to post.
Very few of them got into it, in truth, as Tim Easterby's Northcliff made a bold bit off the front end, battling the challenges of Dare To Hope and Washington Heights entering the final furlong.
Washington Heights eventually wore down Northcliff but Sean Levey got a great tune out of Richard Hannon's Havana Grey colt and got there just in time to win by a neck.
It was a fifth win in the race for Hannon since 2016 and a fourth for Levey.
Hannon said: "He pulled a muscle behind and had sore shins and it was a real struggle to get him here.
"In his last couple of bits of work I put him right in at the deep end and he worked with Classic and Persian Force. He came up there upsides them, which I didn't expect.
"He's not in the Middle Park, I haven't put him in anything but he's a black-type horse, for sure.
"It's good for Middleham Park (owners) as they've been great supporters of ours over the years and that is what these races are about."
Blue For You finished with a flourish to deny stablemate Escobar in the Clipper Logistics Handicap.
Following three successive runner-up finishes, Blue For You was the 11-2 favourite to secure a deserved victory, but briefly looked booked for minor honours once more after Escobar swept to the front.
Once the gap came, however, the market leader picked up to run down his fellow David O'Meara-trained runner – getting up to score by a head in the hands of Danny Tudhope.
O'Meara said: "I don't know if I've got a knack for winning these races, we had six in there so we had a good chance, but late on they were getting in each other's way.
"Blue For You has been an unlucky loser. He'd been blocked a couple of times, then Escobar looked like he was going to win. Trying to watch six was quite hard!
"Blue For You was second at Goodwood and he'd have beaten Orbaan if he'd got a run that day. Orbaan has run another good race today (finished fourth), but Blue For You got the splits.
"It's a hard job to keep everybody happy, but at least some of them ran OK."
William Haggas ensured he was not going to be a one-hit at the meeting when Kyeema (8-1) held off Indian Dream in the Or8Wellness EBF Stallions Nursery Handicap.
A winner at Catterick last time out, he had to be tough close home for Tom Marquand to land the spoils.
"It's a fair step up from Catterick to winning that, but I thought he did really well," said Haggas, still basking in the glow in the brilliant Baaeed 24 hours earlier.
"I thought he wanted six furlongs on soft ground, but I was wrong. It was a great ride by Tom, he's such a good jockey."
Adaay In Asia (11-1) followed up her Shergar Cup Sprint success at Ascot, taking the British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies' Handicap by a length from No Nay Nicki in the hands of Dylan Hogan.
Winning trainer Harry Dunlop, who has announced he will soon be retiring, said: "I bought her for 10 grand and she has won seven races now.
"Obviously, winning at Goodwood (on her penultimate start) and here is very satisfying, and the owners (The 2 Under Partnership) have been with me all the way through, so I am delighted.
"She is improving and loves fast ground. She is just a very good mover and I have always liked the filly as a yearling and she was a good two-year-old as well.
"She had two splints, which really set us back and she has now won her last four.
"Crickey, she has really improved, which is wonderful."
