Sir Dancealot to grace Royal meeting
● Elsworth’s runner pips Kimberella to land Hamilton feature and book Ascot spot
Sir Dancealot booked a ticket to Royal Ascot by scrambling home in a thrilling finish to land the feature race on a glorious afternoon at Hamilton.
A first-ever course runner for veteran Newmarket trainer David Elsworth, the 5-6 favourite pipped Kimberella by a nose under Paul Mulrennan in the British Stallions Studs Clyde EBF Conditions Stakes. One of his co-owners Darren Whitford said: “Paul said the ground was a little bit on the quick side but we’re looking forward to Ascot now and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.
“We’ve got several horses with David and he’s a genius of a trainer – it should be a great day out in a fortnight of so.
“We’ve flown up from St Albans and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the trip. It’s a lovely track.”
Ayrshire born David Allan won on both his rides for a 10-1 double. In the process, he took Tim Easterby’s recent strikerate to 13 winners in the past two weeks.
Allan started with Look Out Louis BB Foodservice Novice Auction Stakes before following up with Aasheq in the Weatherbys Printing Services Hamiltonian Handicap.
The jockey said: “He was fourth at Carlisle last time and that form is looking pretty hot as the winner went on to win at Epsom. Our lad is pretty progressive and we like him a lot as it rode like a pretty decent race.”
Langholm’s Jamie Gormley steered 11-4 hot-pot Only Spoofing to an effortless hattrick completing success for trainer Jedd O’keeffe in the concluding bettrendsshop. co.uk Handicap.
Meanwhile, the racing world was in mourning yesterday for the great chaser Denman, who died at the age of 18.
Trainerpaulnichollssaidthe 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner“hadbeguntogodownhill in the past few days”, and was “put to sleep painlessly”. Nicholls added: “The decision was taken by his devoted owner Paul Barber with the full support of myself, our head lad Clifford Baker and our vet Buffy Shirley-beavan. We all agreed it was the right thing to do because we did not want to see him suffer.”
Denman was renowned for his iron will on a racecourse and won 14 races from 24 starts. His finest hour came in the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup, when he defeated stablemate Kauto Star by seven lengths in a race for the ages.
Denman claimed four Grade One races and was also twice successful in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in 2007 and 2009. He retired in 2011 having earned over £1million in prize money. Nicholls said: “Denman was known affectionately to punters and racegoers as ‘The Tank’, which I always felt was fitting. He was a magic horse who had a tremendous following because of the wholehearted way he went about his racing.”