All good at Goodwood for Whisky Baron
WHISKY BARON put up a sensational performance on his first run for William Haggas to take a close second in the Ladbrokes Celebration Mile at Goodwood on Saturday.
This Group 2 was the 2017 Met winner’s first run since it all went pear-shaped in the Jebel Hatta in Dubai in March and he was almost totally ignored in the betting at 20-1.
Dane O’Neill settled him at the back until starting to ride him three furlongs out. The Australian-bred stayed on really well in the final furlong to take a halflength second to the 11-8 favourite Beat The Bank.
Craig Carey, racing manager for Ridgemont and the Kieswetter family, said yesterday: “The horse ran a cracker. He looked almost outpaced early but he really kicked on at the end for a good second. It was a fantastic effort to come back like that.”
Balding
Andrew Balding intends stepping the winner up to Group 1 for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot and said: “We will also look at Hong Kong in December. The owner is keen to go there.”
Plans for Whisky Baron have yet to be finalised and Carey said: “William says that the horse needs further. He wanted to see how he came through this prep run but I am sure he will now be studying the programmes over the next few days.” Majestic Mozart may not have been one of the most impressive winners at Kenilworth on Saturday but seemingly his is a name it could pay to remember.
Candice Bass-Robinson, not one to mistake her geese for swans, told Fee Ramsden: “He is one of the better horses in the yard and I think he is a really smart colt. He will keep improving.”
Snaith
Jonathan Snaith similarly spelt out the future strengths of Rip It Up after Richard Fourie’s mount had led from two furlongs out to justify 15-10 favouritism in the Sons Of Hygiene Maiden.
He told Stan Elley: “This five furlongs was far too short.
“The horse has a bright future, particularly when he gets up to 1 400m and a mile.
The winner carries the increasingly successful colours of Nick Jonsson that were also carried to victory on Konkola in the Jockey Club Stakes at Fairview on Friday, giving Snaith Racing its third successive victory in this Listed race.
The winner was backed from 11-1 to 11320. Fourie, who secured a dream run up the inner, reported: “The pace was quite stagnant early and our other horse (Esteemal) ended up taking the lead.
“She made it a real pace and from there on I found myself looking at the dangers – and I was going so much better than them.”
Donovan Dillon, who rode a first and last race double on Saturday on the Paul Reeves-trained Pippielangkous and Durty Nelly for Mike Robinson, has been suspended for a week (August 30-September 5) for going too slowly!
The stipes took a poor view of the way he steadied the pace on Margot Fonteyn after taking it up after 300m in the 2 000m handicap at Kenilworth on August 11. Some of those behind were hampered as a result.
Falsely run races are the bane of punters’ lives and are a prime cause of form upsets at Kenilworth where the south-easter – or rather sheltering from it – is so often a determining factor in the strength of the gallop. But attempting to legislate against them is akin to trying to roll a boulder up the side of a mountain.
Cape Town trainers
The majority of Cape Town trainers don’t like to see anything but proven front-running specialists making the running, whether the south-easter is blowing or not. The trainers believe that most horses do better coming from behind. In addition there is a real risk that a front-runner will win by too far and shoot up the handicap as a result.
Jockeys have to please their employers if they want to stay in business, and – somewhat understandably - they view the consequences of displeasing them as far more serious than a week’s enforced holiday.
Michael Clower did not attend Kenilworth on Saturday following an eye operation during the week.