Spirit Dancer powers to win in Riyadh
MALTON-TRAINED Spirit Dancer looks set to run at the Dubai World Cup following his brilliant victory in Riyadh on Saturday.
The Richard Fahey-trained son of Frankel was produced brilliantly by jockey Oisin Orr in the closing stages of $2million Group Two Howden Neom Turf Cup to mow down oddson favourite, Aidan’s O’Brien’s Luxembourg
and claim the $1.2million first prize.
Fahey had said beforehand he “wouldn’t swap my fella” for any other horse in the race and was proved right as the seven-year-old, Spirit Dancer (8-1) bred and part-owned by former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, delivered in fine style at the Saudi Cup meeting.
The pair travelled out to Bahrain last year to tackle the Group Two Bahrain International Trophy and after succeeding there, they set their sights on the Neom Turf Cup after first visiting Meydan in January.
Fahey, who has trained the sevenyear-old to win eight times now, including three victories at York and one at Ripon, added: “I’d say it’ll be very hard not to send him to Dubai, we’ll see how he is and make a decision but I’d be a little bit shocked if he doesn’t line up in something on World Cup night.
“I’ve always wanted to stretch him out to a mile and a half, but the horse hasn’t stopped blowing yet, so let him blow and we’ll work it out!
“Any horse that can win on the international scene like this, they become the people’s horse and he’s heading that way. He’s got a huge fan base, he’s a progressive horse that’s heading the right way.
“He gets his head down and gallops all the way to the line, people who are involved in horse racing love to see horses do that.”
A delighted Ferguson, whose talented Kalif Du Berlais defeated Givemefive owned by golfers Graeme McDowell and Brooks Koepka in the Coral Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton the same afternoon, said: “It was fantastic. After the triumph in Bahrain and coming to this level and looking at the field – the performance from Oisin and the horse was unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.
“Richard has made the point a few times that the horse hasn’t had a lot of racing and Oisin said the horse is improving all the time and the evidence is there. I’m delighted.”
Yorkshire’s other Saudi Cup hope, Tim Easterby’s Art Power (11-1), ridden by David Allan, faded to 12th out of 14 runners as Mick Appleby pulled off another lucrative overseas raid as Annaf (11-1) landed the Saudi National Bank 1351 Turf Sprint for Rossa Ryan.
Closer to home, another Malton horse, Brian Ellison’s Anglers Crag (11-2), completed a four-timer with victory in the Betting.Bet Eider Handicap Chase at the trainer’s home track of Newcastle.
Owned and bred by Derrick Mossop, the nine-year-old has undergone a remarkable transformation since moving from David Pipe’s winning all his starts for Ellison.
He survived two mistakes at eight out and two out but still had enough to overhaul Prince Des Fischaux (111) by a neck under an inspired Henry Brooke ride.