TOUCH OF CLASS CAN TAKE FAHEY TO £3m

TRAINER Richard Fahey chases major prizes at three meetings today hoping to crash through the £3million British prizemoney barrier for the first time in his 23-year career.

A treble at Ayr yesterday with Constantino, Devious Spirit and Donjuan Triumphant took the Malton trainer to within £100,000 of the landmark.

That could be bridged if 7-1 favourite Don’t Touch lands the feature William Hill Ayr Gold Cup under Tony Hamilton, or Frankie Dettori-ridden Nimr wins the the Tattersalls Millions Median Trophy at Newmarket.

Fahey (below), who has run 266 horses this season and won 187 races, also has Gimcrack Stakes runner-up Ribchester in the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury.

He said: ‘It’s been a fantastic season. We haven’t got a star horse but we have won a big race most weekends, so hopefully we can do it again.’

Two of those big races have been delivered by Fahey’s other Ayr Gold Cup runners — Bunbury Cup winner Rene Mathis and Ascot International Handi- cap scorer Heaven’s Guest. But Fahey, behind John Gosden and Richard Hannon in the trainers’ championship, regards unbeaten Don’t Touch as his No 1 contender.

The son of Dutch Art will try to become the first three-year-old to win Scotland’s most prestigious Flat race since Funfair Wane in 2004. Fahey, who won the 2006 Ayr Gold Cup with Fonthill Road, said: ‘I don’t think Ripon suited the horse and he will be better on a more conventional track. He is a progressive sprinter and will have to man up.’ Ribchester, still a maiden, has been bought by Godolphin since being beaten just over a l ength by Ajaya in t he Gimcrack.

Fahey said: ‘ I couldn’t believe he was beaten first time out at Doncaster but stuck my neck out and ran him in the Gimcrack, where he went walkabout. We like him.’