Josie’s hit the jackpot

JOSEPHINE Gordon steered Encrypted to victory in the £100,000 Pavers Foundation Catherine Memorial Sprint Handicap at York.

Her companion charged a neck clear to take the £100,000 sprint for trainer Hugo Palmer.

Game front-runner Soldier’s Minute tried to do it the hard way down the centre of the track but his challenge petered out inside the penultimate furlong when Encrypted took control.

Savalas threw down a stern challenge as he went in pursuit of a fourth victory on the spin but Encrypted was not having any of it and won nicely.

Gordon said: “I know the ability he’s got.

“He just needed the run a little bit the last day at Newmarket. He’s so easy and straightforward. I think there’s still more to come from him.”

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Encrypted’s owner Khalid Abdullah, said of the 25-1 shot: “We thought he’d run well, to be honest

“When I saw he was 25-1 I thought it seemed pretty generous given how he’d run on his comeback.

“We thought he’d be competitive. You’d be thinking along the lines of races like the Stewards’ Cup now. He’s shown he handles a big field.”