Murphy plays it cool aboard Right Direction
Irish youngster rides Godolphin filly to smart victory at Newmarket Racecourse
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Oisin Murphy described Godolphin’s Right Direction as a ‘good moving filly’ after riding the daughter of Cape Cross to victory in the Bonham Fillies’ Handicap on the opening day of Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire Meeting yesterday.
Murphy has forged a reasonably successful partnership with long-serving Godolphin handler Saeed Bin Surour and the positives of this alliance were very much in evidence on a pristine Rowley Mile course, which also came in for praise from the jockey.
One of Kilkenny-born Murphy’s biggest attributes is his extraordinary composure and he used it to good effect when tracing the leaders and making his move only in the final furlong as a gap opened up on the rails. Once he thrust his reins at Right Direction, the progressive Darley-bred four-year-old surged to the front and crossed the line in impressive fashion.
Strong filly
Rebel Surge, ridden by Tom Queally, finished 1 ¼ lengths in arrears while Crafty Madam, the mount of William Buick, stayed on for third.
“She’s a very strong filly and she’s very genuine. She stuck her head out nicely,” Murphy told Racking UK. “She’s a good moving filly who clearly liked the good ground, as you would expect at this time of the year.
“Fully marks to Michael Posser and his team,” Murphy added with a nod to Newmarket’s Clerk of the Course and Director of Racing.
Bin Surour also praised the track and his Godolphin Stablestrained filly. “She likes to burst late in a race, that’s her move,” he said. “I can’t find any fault with her. She trains well and gives 100 per cent every time we bring her to the racecourse.
“She’s a nice horse for the future and hopefully has a lot more to offer.”
Right Direction was bringing up another winner for Godolphin who are assured of winning the British Flat Owners Championship once again having amassed in excess of £4 million from over 100 winners since the season began in April and will conclude on British Champions Day next month.
Meanwhile, reigning champion jockey Silvestre De Sousa swooped late on Artic Sound to win the Group 3 Tattersalls Stalls Stakes, the afternoon’s feature race.
Racing out of record-breaking Mark Johnston’s stables, the two-year-old son of Dalham Hall Stud stallion, Poet’s Voice proved an authoritative winner over Andrew Balding’s Bye Bye Hong Kong to comfortably win by a length.
The Cambridgeshire Meeting continues on Friday with a triple Group racecard featuring the Princess Royal Nayef Stakes (G3), Shadwell Rockfel Stakes (G2) and Shadwell Joel Stakes (G2).
prize money Godolphin have won in the UK.
winners in Britain for Bin Surour this season.