Golden gamble seals great week
Plunge horse Nahaarr lands spoils
He may be baby faced and still only aged 22 but Tom Marquand rides with the confidence and ability of a much more experienced jockey and at Ayr Racecourse on Saturday he proved he really is an exceptional talent.
Driven from his Hungerford home – some 400 miles away – by Mark Doyle, father of Tom’s girlfriend and leading jockey Hollie, he wrote his name all over the record books with a stunning treble including the big one – the QTS Gold Cup.
Just a week after steering Galileo Chrome to victory in the Pertemps St Leger Tom was again centre stage and became the first jockey in 101 years to achieve the St Leger – Ayr Gold Cup double when the heavily backed Nahaarr, trained by Willie Haggas, came with a blistering run to beat Spanish City and lift the coveted cup.
The last rider to win the big September double was Australian Bernard Carslake in 1919 when he rode Keysoe to win the St Leger and Beresina to Ayr Gold Cup glory.
Those watching the ITV coverage of Saturday’s action would have been following the massive plunge on Nahaarr for it is highly unusual that a horse is sent off 7- 2 for this race.
But approaching two furlongs out you would have thought the Willie Haggas trained runner’s chances of landing Scotland’s most famous race were zero. He was mid pack, crowded and hampered on more than one occasion but just as his backers were reaching for their betting tickets to tear them up everything fell into place.
He got a clear run and Marquand weaved his way through to hit the front near the line and win by half a length from Spanish City.
Nahaarr has raced six times now over six furlongs and won four. His success on Saturday came off a rating of 100 and he will surely now step up to Group class. This four year- old colt has a glittering career ahead.
Meanwhile, the Jordan Electrics Doonside Cup attracted the classiest ever field assembled at Ayr.
The seven horses between them had won £ 3.8 million and Addeybb won two Group 1s in Australia during the Spring before finishing runner up to Lord North in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot in June .
Sent off the 11/ 10 favourite, which in my opinion was a licence to steal money, the six year- old son of Pivotal didn’t have the race run to suit and Marquand had to work on him throughout the race.
But as the business end loomed his class told and he won by three quarters of a length from Lord Glitters.
Next up is the Champion Stakes at Royal Ascot in October where he will meet Lord Glitters once again.
Scotland’s only Group race, the Scotty Brand Firth Of Clyde Stakes, saw Umm Kulthum from the Richard Fahey yard battle away to win under Paul Hanagan and cross the line a length to the good from Scarlet Bear.
All in all a very enjoyable Gold Cup Festival but a very strange three days.
Let’s hope this will be the last major meeting at Ayr run under these strict guidelines.